The FireRedLeafGreenWaterBlue Chronicles
by Pokemon Chronicler
Summary: A story chronicling the adventure of the three teenagers Red, Green and Blue, as they journey through Kanto. Contains plenty of drama, humor and battles. Based on the games FireRed and LeafGreen. Rated T for occasional violence/mild language. Reviews/comments are appreciated.
1. The Adventure Begins

**The FireRed/LeafGreen/WaterBlue Chronicles**

**Chapter I**

**The Adventure Begins**

* * *

Hello, welcome to the world of Pokémon. My name is Samuel Oak, and I am a Pokémon Professor.  
This world... is inhabited far and wide by creatures called Pokémon.  
For some people, Pokémon are pets. Others use them for battling. As for myself, I study them as a profession.

But this is not my story. This is a story about three teenagers who's very own Pokémon legend is about to unfold. A world of dreams and adventures awaits...

* * *

Red Jackson opened his eyes and stood up. He looked around in his room. The place was actually tidy for once. His mother had wanted him to clean it up before he left.  
As he walked down the stairs toward the front door, he felt a sting of bittersweetness.

He looked up at the photo of his father. "I guess it's finally time, huh? I'm actually going off on my own adventure."

"Are you going off on that adventure without saying 'bye?"

His mother was standing behind him, leaning on the wall.

"Of course not, Mom. I'm just excited to get going."

The two embraced in a long hug, and Red's mother kissed his forehead.

"Come on, Mom," he complained, "I'm thirteen now. I'm too old for the forehead kisses."

"Red, you're my only child. You're never going to be too old." she said. "You know... you look so much like your father."

He grinned proudly.

"You know what?" his mother asked while walking over to a cupboard.  
She pulled out a red cap and dusted it off.

"Here," she offered, "take his old traveling hat."

Red took the cap in his hands and stared at it. He looked up at the wall again. There were several photos there. Most were of him and his mother, but a few had his father in them. One of the photos was of his father as a teenager. Wearing the same cap Red was holding in his hands.

He put it on, smiling proudly.

"Thank you, Mom."

His mother started crying. "I'm sorry, Red. I'm just so proud of you."

Red opened the door.

"You think you're proud of me now?" he asked. "Just wait until I'm the Champion!"

* * *

Madison Blue was woken up by her alarm with a smile on her face.  
The thirteen year old girl stood up and looked over at the mirror on the wall, giggling as she noticed how unkempt her hair was. She grabbed a brush and started combing her hair.

Her nice clothes were resting on a chair. Blue knew she had to look her best today.

This was the day she had been looking forward to for a long time.

This was the day she would receive her first Pokémon.

As she walked out of her room she grabbed the white hat resting on her desk.

When she came downstairs she noticed the kitchen table. On it was a plate with sandwiches, and a glass of oran berry-juice.

Her parents were already sitting by the table, eating their own sandwiches.

"You guys made breakfast?" Blue asked, pleasantly surprised.

"You're going away for quite some time, young lady." her father replied.

"The last thing we want is for you to leave the house on an empty stomach" her mother added.

Blue grabbed a sandwich and gave her parents a hug each. "Thank you. You're the best."

She walked to the front door and put on her shoes. "See you later. Love you."

* * *

Green Oak woke up. He put on his black shirt and spiked his gingerish brown hair with hair wax.

He walked downstairs and almost bumped into his older sister.

She had her nose stuck in a magazine, reading about the latest fashion trends.

Green rolled his eyes and kept walking to the front door.

"I'm leaving now." he told his parents, who were sitting in their living room, watching TV.

"Don't slam the door, honey." his mother replied.

"I'm thirteen, mother. I know I'm not supposed to slam the door," he answered, before he slammed the door on his way out.

* * *

Pallet Town was a small, quiet place. In fact, it was one of the smallest towns in Kanto.

There were only eight residences, which is why Prof. Oak had decided to set up his lab there.

With few people around, the Pokémon living in the nearby wilderness would be more prone to acting like they naturally would, rather than if they had regular contact with humans.

The professor was sitting by his desk checking his research data when his grandson came in through the door.

"Hey, Gramps. I'm not late right?" Green asked grumpily.

"It seems like you're the first one to arrive." Oak answered unenthusiastically, not even looking up from his data.

The sound of the doorbell chimed, and Oak looked up from his research. "Speaking of. That must be Red and Maddie."

Green sat down while Oak walked to the door.

"Hello, kids."

Red and Blue both stood on his porch with their backpacks. The two neighbours had met each other on the way.

"Professor, we're not kids anymore." Red commented.

"We're thirteen. Teenagers." Blue added.

"Well, to me it's as if it was yesterday that you two and Green were playing around in here." Oak paused. He lingered on the words he had spoken, as if recalling a bad memory.

Green stared down Red and Blue as they entered the room. The two stared right back.

Though Red and Blue were still friends, Green hadn't been on friendly terms with the two for a while.

"Okay, Gramps. Now that we're all here, can we do this?" Green demanded.

Oak waved his hand, turning their attention toward a table to his right, a mahogany table with three Pokéballs resting on top of it.

"Alright kids, I've got three Pokémon here. The grass type Bulbasaur, the fire type Charmander, and the water type, Squirtle. To make this as fair as possible, I've decided that you will pull straws to decide the order you get to choose in. Longest straw gets to choose first, shortest last."

The three proceeded to pull straws.

Red jumped out of joy when he saw the long straw in his hand.

Blue felt nervous about having pulled the shortest one, while Green smirked at the medium length straw he had pulled out.

Red walked toward the table. His hand hovered over the Pokéballs, lingering, as if he couldn't decide.

"Would you hurry up?" Green complained.

Red smiled crookedly, and picked up the Pokéball containing the Charmander.

"A fine choice, Red" Oak congratulated.

Green strolled forward and grabbed the grass starter. "Let's face it, Red. I don't need to have an advantage to beat your ass."

Oak frowned.

Red and Green continued to stare each other down while Blue picked up the Squirtle.

"You have no idea how happy I am that you guys picked those two. I wanted the cute one."

"Very well, now let's just get you going!" Oak exclaimed. "These are for you."

He handed them five Pokéballs each.

"And one more thing." he added.

The professor hurried over to his desk and picked up something before he returned to the three teenagers.

"These," he explained while showing them three nearly identical gadgets, "are Pokédexes. They will be of tremendous help. I should know. I made them. Take good care of them."

He handed them a Pokédex each.

A red one for Red, a green one for Green, and a blue one for Blue.

"Wow, pimped out Pokédexes!" Red cheered.

"I don't know what that means, but I did make these three with you three in mind." Oak replied, slightly confused.

The three thanked the professor, and left the lab.

* * *

"So guys, what's next?" Red asked.

"I don't know about the two of you," Green replied, "but I'm gonna do this on my own. I'll see you suckers later."

"Why do you always have to be like this? Why can't we let everything go and just go back to being friends?" Blue asked in frustration.

"You know why." Green was looking down on the ground. He looked up again. "Goodbye."

And just like that, he ran off, and Blue and Red were left by themselves.

"So," Red turned to Blue, "what's your plan?"

"I want to defeat the gyms so I can qualify for the Indigo League Championship." Blue answered.

"That sounds almost like my plan." Red replied. "Except I'm not just going to qualify for the championship. I'm gonna win it!"

"You're going to have to beat me first then." Blue said slyly.

They both laughed as they walked out of the town, but stopped when they saw Green standing in front of them again.

"Didn't you just dramatically run off so you could do this on your own?" Red wondered.

"Yes," Green answered, "but I realized this Pokémon hasn't gotten any experience yet. I figure fighting you will guarantee it wins its first battle. Don't you agree, Red?"

Red stepped forward. "Honestly, I'd love to fight you. But you're not gonna win."

Green smirked. "Really? You think you're going to be able to defeat me?"

"It'll be a piece of cake!" Red said confidently.

Blue sat down on a tree stub and released her Squirtle. "Hey there, Squirtle. I'm your trainer, and my name is Blue. Wanna be friends?"

Squirtle smiled and shook her hand.

"You know what? Squirtle is what you are, not who you are. I want to give you a name, is that okay?" Blue asked.

Squirtle nodded.

"You look like a Mary to me. Does that sound good?"

The turtle Pokémon grinned and jumped into its trainer's lap. They gave each other a hug, and prepared to watch the battle.

Red released his Charmander. "Hey dude. I'm Red, and... we're gonna be a great team, don't you think?"

The fire lizard nodded eagerly, and they focused their attention on Green and his Bulbasaur.

"Let's do this, Green!"

"Attack now!" Red and Green shouted simultaneously.

Charmander and Bulbasaur ran toward each other, both not taking a second to blink. The two starter Pokémon leaped up toward one another, clashing in mid-air.

"Come on, Bulbasaur!" Green yelled.

Bulbasaur heeded the command of its trainer and managed to get on top of the other Pokémon. Gravity kicked in and the two started falling to the ground again. Bulbasaur, being on top, adjusted its weight to slam Charmander into the ground as hard as possible.

Charmander coughed in pain.

Bulbasaur didn't let up, and it jumped up and landed on Charmander again.

"Charmander, you've gotta do something!" Red screamed.

Charmander managed to shift around as Bulbasaur jumped up a second time. After Bulbasaur landed on it again, Charmander scratched its face.

Bulbasaur retreated and stepped back. It licked its wound, and smirked.

"Tackle it, Bulbasaur!" Green ordered.

The seed-Pokémon rushed over toward the fire lizard. Charmander tried to dodge, but was too slow. Bulbasaur slammed into it and Charmander fell down.

Charmander tried getting up, and Green gave his Pokémon a command. "Growl!"

Bulbasaur opened its mouth and let out a piercing yell that distorted the air. It made it just hard enough for Charmander to get up, and it fell down again.

"Come on, Charmander!" Red tried cheering his Pokémon up.

Green laughed. "Jeez, Red, you're so bad at this! You haven't given your Pokémon a single real command yet!"

"What?" Red exclaimed.

"Didn't notice until now?" Green smirked. "All you've done is asking it to do something, to come on. No real commands. Pathetic."

Red realized his mistake. "Charmander, Growl back!"

Charmander let out a piercing scream of its own, distorting the air and making it harder to stand for Bulbasaur.

"And now, right away, Ember!" Red added.

Just as the scream ended Charmander released bolts of fire from its mouth at the unsuspecting Bulbasaur. It was hit straight on, unable to move quickly enough due to the Growl.

Green frowned. "Bulbasaur, shake it off and Leech Seed that lizard!"

Bulbasaur literally shook off the ash covering its face. A seed sprouted from its bulb, which it shot out toward Charmander.

"Dodge it, Char!" Red warned his Pokémon.

Charmander tried, but once again, it was too slow. The seed hit its foot, and it became quickly wrapped in thin vines and leaves that started to restrain it.

"I think it's stuck, Red." Green mocked. "Now, finish it!"

Bulbasaur started running toward Charmander.

Red could see how Charmander struggled to get free from the vines. How it failed. The next thing he saw was Bulbasaur crashing head-first into Charmander, snapping the vines and launching Red's Pokémon off its feet and into the ground again.

Charmander didn't move. It was still conscious, but beaten.

Red ran over to it. "I'm so sorry, Char. I... I failed you. It won't happen again."

He remembered that Oak had given them a few potions each, and he grabbed one and sprayed his Pokémon's wounds.

"That looks so sad." Blue said to her Squirtle.

It nodded.

Red looked up at Green and gritted his teeth. "You won this time, Green. Next time, we'll be stronger!"

Green laughed as he turned around, ready to walk away. "Yeah...good luck with that."

* * *

An hour had passed since Red and Green's fight.

Finally, Red and Blue had reached Viridian City. They located the PokéCenter and left their starters in the nurses' care so they could heal, and sat down on a bench to wait.

"There were so many Rattatas..." Blue sighed.

Red laughed. "Hey, at least we got some training out of it... and hey, did you see when I mopped the floor with that kid who kept going on about how his Rattata was in the... what did he call it?"

"Top percentage." Blue answered.

"Top percentage," Red giggled, "... that's so stupid."

"Sure is." Blue laughed, and then she got quiet. She was staring at the floor. "How did you feel after you lost to Green?"

Red stood up. "I'm not sure. At first I was sad, then angry. Now I'm just disappointed. Charmander lost because I didn't do my job, but that's not gonna happen again!"

The nurse strolled over to them with a huge smile on her face. "Hello sweeties, here's your Pokémon back, but sweeties, I've got this little thing to ask you. Prof. Oak forgot some of his research papers here the other day, and he called and said he needed them back as soon as possible. Unfortunately, I don't have the time to deliver it to him. Do you think maybe one of you sweeties might be able to do it?"

Red turned to Blue. "I don't see why we can't both do it together." he said with a smile.

"You're a cute couple, you two sweeties." the nurse commented.

"Oh, we're not a couple," Red replied immediately, "she's just a friend. Nothing more."

Red didn't even notice how Blue's expression changed completely.

"You know what?" she asked with a bitter tone. "I can take them. Goodbye, Red."

She grabbed Oak's papers from the nurse, and ran out before Red could say anything.

"What just happened?" Red wondered.

"Typical men. Even the sweeties turn out to be assholes." the nurse mumbled as she strolled back to her desk, leaving Red even more confused.

* * *

The sun had begun to set when Blue was on her way back from Pallet after delivering the papers. She could see Viridian from where she was walking.

She wondered if Red would still be there when she came back. She was ashamed of how she had acted.

"_I know how I feel about him... I just wish he felt the same._" she thought.

Suddenly, Blue heard a twig snap behind her. "_What was that? A wild Pokémon? A trainer? A crazy ax-murderer?_"

She turned around and saw Green standing there.

"Green? Why are you still here? I figured you'd be halfway to Pewter City by now."

Green chuckled. "I've spent some time here, battling low-level Pokémon to hone my skills as a trainer. To let my Pokémon get some experience before we take on a gym."

Blue was thinking about Red. "_Maybe this is how I can make him notice me?_"

"Hey, Green!" she raised her voice. "How about a battle?"

Green smirked. "Really? After you saw what happened to Red?"

Blue positioned herself, ready for a fight, and proclaimed, "You might have defeated Red, but I won't lose! Mary, attack!"

* * *

Red checked his surroundings. He was standing in the middle of the Viridian Forest.

After he lost against Green, he'd been thinking about ways to improve as a trainer.

Earlier, after Blue stormed off, Red had been walking around in Viridian City when he had met an old man. The old man had been complaining about being thirsty, so Red had bought him a coffee. The old man was so grateful that he had taught Red how to catch a Pokémon.

That was the reason why Red was in the forest.

He was going to catch a Pokémon.

Red continued to check his surroundings.

He heard a sound coming from behind, and turned around to see a Pikachu. He reached for a Pokéball in his backpack, and threw it. The Pikachu dodged it and ran behind him, jumping onto his back. He frantically tried to get it off, but it didn't let go of his backpack.

Red grabbed the single Pokéball in his belt and released Charmander.

"Char, get it off of me!" he yelled.

Charmander jumped up and grabbed the Pikachu, pulling it off Red. The two Pokémon stared at each other.

"Char, Ember!"

Charmander opened its mouth, but Pikachu reacted quickly. Its body glowed before it released a lightning bolt from its body into Charmander's mouth.

The fire lizard growled in pain, and the Pikachu ran off.

Red noticed that the Pikachu had a scar on its tail, but his attention moved to Charmander.

"You okay, Char?" Red worriedly asked his Pokémon.

Charmander nodded, but was clearly in pain.

Red returned it, and started walking back to Viridian to visit the PokéCenter.

"Oh man! I suck!" he screamed in a moment of frustration, and kicked a bush.

Right after the kick, he heard an almost inaudible sound. Like a quiet whistling.

He noticed a Caterpie lying in the bush; It was hurt.

He realized he had kicked it. "Oh no! Did I... did I just hurt you?"

The Caterpie looked up at him, and he picked it up.

"I'm really sorry, Caterpie. I'll make sure you'll be alright again." he promised, before he ran back toward Viridian City with it in his arms.

* * *

Meanwhile, the battle between Blue and Green was nearing an ending.

Squirtle was looking tired, while Bulbasaur hadn't even broken a sweat.

"You know Blue," Green said, "the reason your Squirtle is so tired is because it's too weak, too slow. Bulbasaur's been pulling its punches the whole match. Honestly, I don't think this is a fair match."

Blue got upset. "Oh yeah? Well, what else is Mary supposed to fight?"

Green laughed. "I've got that covered. Bulbasaur, return."

He held out a Pokéball that enveloped Bulbasaur in a red light and absorbed it in, then he threw a different Pokéball into the air.

A Pidgey materialized.

"Pidgey, finish the turtle with a Gust." Red ordered.

The bird Pokémon flapped its wings quickly and created a miniature tornado that sucked up Squirtle and sent it slamming into a tree.

The water type fainted instantly.

"Wha-... can you do that?" Blue stuttered as she returned it.

Green smirked. "Blue, as we never set a limit to how many Pokémon we could use in the battle, it was perfectly legal for me to switch out Bulbasaur. It's too bad you haven't had the foresight to capture anything. Now you're down to nothing. You lose."

After Green stepped back into the bushes where he came from, Blue opened her bag. She stared at the five Pokéballs she had received from Prof. Oak.

The still empty Pokéballs.

"Maybe I should fill these with something." She looked at Squirtle's Pokéball. "After I've gotten you healed, Mary."

She ran into the city and found the PokéCenter. Once she entered she was greeted by a surprising sight.

"Red?" she called out.

He had a worried look on his face, but it seemed to disappear when he heard her. "Blue? Hey, you're back!"

He ran over to her and gave her a quick hug. "Look, Blue, I'm really sorry you got upset, even if I'm not sure why."

"Red, it's okay. I mean... I can't believe you waited for me here this whole time."

He chuckled nervously. "Uh, actually, I was in the forest, trying to catch some new Pokémon, when I accidentally hurt a Pokémon."

"Isn't that what you're supposed to do when you try to catch something?" Blue asked.

"Not by kicking it." he answered. "So anyway, I did that, so I had to come back here and get it and Char healed."

"Oh..."

They stood there for several seconds. Seconds that felt like minutes.

"I-...I have to go heal Mary." Blue mumbled awkwardly.

"Yeah, sure... you go do that..." Red mumbled back.

As Blue walked to the desk, the nurse passed her and walked over to Red.

"Hey sweetie, here's your Caterpie back." the nurse told Red and handed him a Pokéball.

"Oh no, it's not mine, it's a wild Pokémon."

"Really? I did wonder why it didn't have a Pokéball, so I asked it if you had lost it somehow. It gave me a nod, so I assumed it was yours and gave it a brand new ball to stay in. Guess this means you've gotten yourself a new Pokémon, sweetie."

Red grabbed the Pokéball proudly and put it in his belt next to Charmander's.

"That's not exactly how the old man told me to do it, but I don't mind..." He paused, and looked over at Blue before he turned back to the nurse. "I'm sorry, you know that girl over there?"

"Yes, sweetie?"

"She's been acting really weird since we got here. Do you think it's because of... uhm... a lady-problem?"

The nurse sighed. "You're not the brightest bulb in the box, are you sweetie?"

* * *

Not long after, Red was back in the forest, this time with Blue by his side.

He noticed that she was shaking.

"What's wrong with you?" he asked.

"It's just... the bugs. I don't get why we have to catch a Pokémon here, there's practically nothing but bugs here, and they're so nasty."

"I'm glad Caterpie didn't hear that. First he's kicked, then he's nasty. Best first impressions ever, don't you think?" Red laughed. "Listen Blue, you said you need to build up your team, right? What better place to start than here? Bugs are easy to catch, just look at Caterpie."

"You didn't exactly catch it, but I get your point. Why don't I go out on my own to do this, and you can train or something in the meantime?"

Blue walked deeper into the forest, while Red was left on his own. He kicked the dirt for a few minutes.

"Jeez, this is so boring." he complained.

"Pika pika."

The high-pitch voice came from behind him. He turned around.

"Is that you?" he asked with a grin on his face.

He turned around and saw a Pikachu with a scar on its tail.

The same Pikachu from before.

"Are you back for more?" Red asked confidently.

The Pikachu started running toward him, and he grabbed a Pokéball on his belt and released Caterpie.

"Oh no!" Red shouted, "I was reaching for Charmander!"

Pikachu smirked as it saw the bug, and tried to tackle it, but to both its and Red's surprise, Caterpie dodged.

Red was fast to grab the opportunity. "Caterpie, String Shot!"

Caterpie shot white string from its mouth at Pikachu, tying it up. It tried to escape the string, but it couldn't manage.

Red noticed sparks starting to form in the red centers of Pikachu's cheeks, and knew he had to act fast. "Caterpie, cover the red spots!"

Caterpie shot the white string at Pikachu's face, covering it with the goo. Pikachu was both blinded and muffled, but most importantly, the red spots were covered and it was momentarily unable to produce electricity.

Caterpie's teeth glowed white and grew slightly longer before it started biting Pikachu repeatedly while dragging its head back and forth where it was biting.

"Whoa, Bug Bite. Didn't know you knew that." Red commented. "Finish it, Tackle!"

Caterpie tackled the Pikachu, making it fall over.

The bug started glowing white.

"What's going on?!" Red wondered aloud.

He started to realize what was happening when he saw the glowing shape of Caterpie starting to change, and when it stopped glowing, it looked completely different.

It had evolved into Metapod.

"That's great!" he laughed as he returned it, and bent down to face the Pikachu.

"So, you pretty much got beaten by a larvae. How does that feel?"

Pikachu rolled its eyes, clearly embarrassed. Red grabbed an empty Pokéball and tapped it on the head with it, and the mouse Pokémon willingly got absorbed into it.

* * *

"Bluuuueeee! Check it out!" Red found Blue sitting by a tree, and showed her his Pikachu.

Blue was impressed. "Not bad. It's not even a bug."

"So?" Red was anxious. "Did you get a new Pokémon?"

"Sure did." Blue stood up, as if to give a presentation.

Red trembled with anticipation. "Show me!"

Blue slowly picked up a Pokéball from her bag, and slowly started preparing to release the Pokémon inside.

"Quit stalling already!" Red was so excited he could cry.

Blue threw the Pokéball into the air, and once it landed on the ground it flashed a bright light which manifested into... a Wartortle!

Red stared at it, confused. "But... I thought you said you had a new Pokémon."

Blue got on her knees and hugged her turtle. "She is new. Mary evolved, therefore she's a new Pokémon."

"But... why didn't you catch something?"

Blue grimaced. "I told you, I think bugs are creepy, and I couldn't find anything else. So instead, I fought every last one I could find and eventually, that resulted in Mary evolving. What do you think?" She smiled innocently at Red.

"Well, I guess different trainers does things differently." he replied dumbfounded.

* * *

A day later, Red and Blue walked out of the forest.

The two stared at the next part of their journey; Pewter City.

Red beamed with glee. "This is it, Blue. This is where I'm gonna get my first badge."

Blue grinned. "Yeah... ditto."

Red perked up and started looking in different directions. "A Ditto? Where?"

"No, it's an expression. I meant me too. I'm going to get my first badge here too."

"Oh... right. Cool" Red replied, somewhat disappointed.

The two gave each other a smile, and stared at the city.

Red pumped his fist up into the air.

"Pewter Gym, here we come!"

* * *

_To be continued..._

_Feel free to leave a review or a comment if you want to, but please avoid spoilers._


	2. Brock

**The FireRed/LeafGreen/WaterBlue ****Chronicles**

**Chapter II**

**Brock**

* * *

"Charmander, keep scratching that tree! Pikachu, you've still got ten more laps to run! Metapod... uh... I guess harden or something."

Red was on the outskirts of Pewter City, training his Pokémon. He'd heard from the locals that the Pewter Gym Leader specialized in rock-types, so he knew he had to prepare.

"Guys, we're at a disadvantage. We've got fire, electricity and a freakin' cocoon to stop rock-Pokémon! If we don't get stronger, we won't be able to defeat the gym! So let's do this!"

* * *

Blue and Wartortle were standing outside of the gym.

Unlike Red, Blue was confident. "You're a water-type, Mary. This'll be a breeze."

She entered the gym, and was met by a young teen dressed as a camper.

"Hi, I'm Liam. I'm the gym assistant here. Please show me your badges."

Blue was surprised by the request. "Uhm, I don't have any yet."

Liam wrote something down in a notebook. "Alright. How many Pokémon do you have with you?"

"One." she answered, still confused. "Why the questions?"

The camper looked up from his notebook. "Oh, you don't know? I can explain. So, you know the obvious rules that most folks know, like how the gym decides how many Pokémon are to be used, stuff like that?"

"Yeah, sure." Blue answered.

"But have you ever wondered this?" Liam asked. "If there are only eight gyms in this region, and you need eight badges to enter this region's league championship, how come the gym leaders are always becoming increasingly stronger as you make your way through them? How come the difficulty of the gyms, no matter the order you fight them, always increases?"

Blue looked puzzled. "I haven't even thought about that before," she said.

"Here's why." Liam continued, "The gym leaders have different sets of Pokémon teams. Nine to be exact. Eight they use against challengers, and their own personal team. They decide what set to use based on how many badges the challenger has obtained so far. Believe me," he chuckled, "if the gym leaders were to use their personal team against every challenger, no one would get a badge."

He waved his hand toward the battlefield. "Anyway, just wait here. The leader will be arriving in no time."

Blue was left alone as Liam walked away. She observed how the field was made of stone.

"Hey, a new challenger? Cool." She heard a joyful voice behind her, and she turned to see a man with spiky brown hair walking toward her. He was wearing an orange and gray jacket and dark green pants.

"Hi, my name is Brock, and I'm the Pewter city gym leader. Nice to meet you."

He shook her hand and walked over to the other side of the stadium.

"As you probably know," he yelled, "I use the Rock-type here! Think you can beat that?!"

"Yes sir!" she yelled back with confidence in her voice.

"Very well!" He paused. "Liam told me this is your first gym battle. Good luck!"

Blue threw her Pokéball into the arena and Wartortle bursted out of it onto the field. Brock did the same, releasing his Geodude.

"Hey, Blue! You can go first." Brock offered.

"Alright, but you might regret that!" Blue yelled back. "Mary, Rock Smash!"

Wartortle jumped toward Geodude while its tail started to glow white. The white glow faded as quickly as it had appeared, leaving the tail with a red-orange glow. Wartortle continued by flipping around vertically and slamming its tail toward Geodude, but Geodude dodged.

"Geodude, Rock Smash! Show'em how it's supposed to be done!" Brock shouted.

One of Geodude's hands glowed white, and it punched Wartortle in the face, sending it flying several feet into the air.

"Mary, get back in control!" Blue urged her Pokémon.

Wartortle flipped around in the air, facing Geodude again, just as Brock gave his Pokémon a new command. "Rock Throw!"

Geodude punched the ground, making rocks fly up toward Wartortle.

Blue reacted quickly. "Protect, then follow up with a Water Gun!"

Wartortle's body became surrounded in a green shield, blocking the rocks and keeping it unharmed. As soon as the shield disappeared Wartortle released a spiral of water from its mouth at Geodude.

The rock-type was hit straight-on because of its lack of speed, but it didn't seem fazed. Geodude blasted through the water stream and punched Wartortle in the roof of its mouth.

The turtle crashed into the ground, not moving at all.

Blue was extremely worried. _"I only have Mary, so if she faints it's over!"_ she thought.

"Sorry, Blue," Brock grinned, "but Geodude is trained to resist water attacks."

Wartortle's ears twitched, and the Pokémon got up on its feet.

"Yes! Way to go, Mary!" Blue cheered. "Now, Brock, let's finish this!" she challenged.

Brock smiled a crooked smile.

Geodude launched itself against Wartortle, intending to punch it again.

"Mary, do the Rapid Spin/Bubble combination!"

Wartortle pulled all of its limbs into its shell and started spinning, and a ridiculous amount of bubbles was blown from inside the shell, obscuring Geodude's and Brock's sight.

Brock yelled frantically "Hurry up Geodude, Rock Throw those things away!"

Geodude punched the ground again, and the rocks punctured the bubbles, which made it possible for Geodude and Brock to see that Wartortle had seemingly disappeared from the field.

"What the?" Brock questioned.

Blue smirked. "You said it could withstand water moves? How about ice?"

Brock was taken aback. "No way?!"

He finally noticed Wartortle in the air above Geodude.

"Mary, Icy Wind!"

Wartortle blew sparkling blue snow out of its mouth, hitting Geodude point-blank and encasing it in a block of ice. The ice cracked as Wartortle landed again, and a fainted Geodude rolled out.

"I won!" Blue was ecstatic.

Brock returned his fainted Geodude, impressed with Blue's victory. "Nice going, Blue. You really showed that you can roll with the punches. Good job, you should be proud of yourself and your Pokémon." He gave a very tired Wartortle an approving nod, which it returned.

Blue smiled widely as he gave her the boulderbadge. "As proof of your victory, I grant you this badge. Good luck with the rest of the gyms, Blue."

"Thank you Mr. Brock."

Suddenly, the front door slammed open.

Brock and Blue turned around to see who had bursted in.

* * *

In the front entrance stood the silhouette of a teenage boy and his Charmander. He stepped forward with his lizard and stared down Brock with a confident, almost cocky smile.

"Pewter City Gym Leader? My name is Red... and I'm here to kick your ass!"

As Brock looked at the boy with a somewhat puzzled expression, Red noticed Blue. "Blue? What are you doing here?"

"I defeated the gym, that's what!" Blue proudly showed off her boulderbadge.

Red got taken aback, and he looked down at his feet. "I figured I would get it before you, now I can't even brag about me being the best of the best..." he mumbled.

Blue sighed. "Red, stop whining and win a badge!" Blue ordered as she made her way to the stands.

Red snapped out of it and positioned himself.

"So, how many badges have you got? How many Pokémon?" Brock asked with a friendly tone.

"That's none of your business!" Red answered.

The tone in Brock's voice changed from friendly to annoyed. "It's kind of important that I know."

"Well, I'm not telling you." Red replied, speaking with a childish and very irritating voice.

Brock's face turned serious.

Blue shouted from the stands. "He's got three Pokémon and no badges."

"Thank you, Blue," Brock muttered through gritted teeth. "Red, we will use two Pokémon each. Are you ready?" he asked as he made his way to the other side of the field.

"Born ready!" Red yelled back.

Brock sent out a new Geodude, and Red released... Butterfree!

Blue shouted joyously from the stands. "You evolved Metapod?"

"Sure did," he shouted back, "I've trained all my Pokémon for this fight!"

Brock laughed. "You think you can defeat me with a bug? I guess you're dumber than I thought! And I thought you were pretty dumb."

Red laughed back. "At least you got the pretty part right! Butterfree, Confusion!"

"What?" Brock exclaimed.

Butterfree's eyes glowed light blue and Geodude's body became outlined in the same light blue glow.

Geodude seemed to be hurt, but didn't back down.

"Smack Down, Geodude!" Brock shouted.

The rock Pokémon opened its mouth and a metallic gold orb of energy appeared in front of it. Geodude tried firing it at Butterfree, but due to the earlier Confusion-attack, it couldn't aim right and hit the roof instead, making a hole and causing debris to start falling.

"Butterfree, Gust!" Red ordered.

The butterfly flapped its wings and created a gust of wind that caused the debris to crash into Geodude and sending it all into the wall.

Brock could tell Geodude was knocked out and returned it while Red chuckled to himself.

"That was over quickly! Is that all you got?"

Blue noticed Brock started to look really angry. Red however, did not, as he was busy laughing like a maniac.

"Red," Brock mumbled, "I usually don't use this one against first-badge trainers... but your attitude is really getting on my nerves."

He threw a Great Ball into the air. "GO ONIX!"

A huge rock snake appeared out of the blue and white ball with red linings, and both Butterfree and Blue stared at it in awe. Red immediately stopped laughing and stared at the Onix with fear in his eyes.

"Oh no." Red got visibly nervous, but he wasn't about to give up just because of this development.

"Butterfree, Confusion!"

"Do you always lead with that move?" Brock shouted, before telling his Onix what to counter with. "Onix, Slam!"

Onix slammed its tail against Butterfree, but it dodged, and Red fell down after the impact caused by Onix's tail hitting the ground.

"Butterfree, we need to stop it from moving that tail! So get up there now and Stun Spore it!" Red yelled desperately.

Butterfree flapped its wings and flew up toward the roof. Onix stared right at the bug flying toward it. Its huge eyes proved frightening to Butterfree, who stopped mid-air, paralyzed with fear.

Brock raised his voice. "Onix, Rock Tomb!"

Seemingly out of nowhere, Onix sent a large gray boulder with a silver glow at Butterfree.

"Butterfree, get away!" Red yelled, but it was too late. Butterfree crashed into the ground, defeated.

Red wiped some sweat from his forehead. "Return, Butterfree. You did good."

Brock noticed a change in Red's expression. He seemed much more serious now.

Blue was unsure what Red would do next.

"_He's got Charmander and Pikachu left_," she thought to herself, "_he's at a disadvantage no matter which one he sends out_."

Red took off his cap, and buried his fingers in his light brown hair. He would never admit it to anyone, but he was scared.

"You're at the end of your rope, Red, admit it." Brock provoked the teen. To his surprise though, Red seemed strangely calm.

"We both are, Brock," Red declared. "One Pokémon left... and only one of us will win. And you know what?" He put on his cap again, and a confident grin appeared on his face. "It's gonna be me!"

Brock frowned as Red sent out Charmander.

"You think you can win with fire against rock?" Brock laughed.

Red shrugged. "I can try. Charmander, Ember!"

Charmander spit out bolts of fire at Onix, who shrugged it off.

"Seriously, Red? Onix, Tackle!"

The rock snake charged head first toward Charmander, but the fire lizard managed to get away in time.

Once again, Onix's impact on the ground caused Red to fall over. "Dammit! Dragon Rage!"

Charmander's eyes turned white, then the flame on its tail became larger and more intense. It formed a ball of blue fire in its mouth and released it. Onix tried to dodge the ball of flames but was too slow. It didn't seem that affected though.

"Do you call that a dragon move?" Brock mocked. "This is a dragon move! DragonBreath!"

Brock's Pokémon fired a green fire-like beam, barely missing Charmander, who was saved again thanks to its speed.

"Again!" Brock yelled.

"SmokeScreen!" Red countered.

Charmander released a thick black smoke from its mouth before Onix could fire a new beam.

For the second time that day, Brock was unable to see the opponent. That is, until the opponent suddenly bursted through the smoke.

Onix tried slamming its tail into the fire lizard, but as it hit, the lizard disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"A Substitute?!" Brock exclaimed in surprise.

The real Charmander bursted through the smoke, and Onix tried slamming it again.

Brock noticed that the lizard was outlined in an orange glow. "Oh no!" he recognized what was about to happen.

The rock snake's tail hit, and Charmander fell to the ground. However, it got up instantly, and the glow was much brighter.

Red smirked. "Counter."

Charmander ran up the rock snake's body, and did a flip over its head, landing on its nose. The glowing lizard punched the Onix between its eyes, and jumped off just as it hit the ground.

Red and Charmander won.

Blue jumped down from the stands and hugged Red after he had returned Charmander.

"Great job, Red! I was worried for a second there."

"Yeah, I was too. Uhm, Blue, do you have to hug me? I'm sore from all the training earlier."

Blue was offended, and stomped toward the exit. "I'll see you when you get out of here."

Brock walked over to a slightly confused Red. "Hey Red, that was a... surprisingly exciting battle. I'm gonna be honest, I underestimated you. To deliberately be hit by the slam so you could absorb the attack and deal out twice the damage with Counter. And the Substitute you used so I wouldn't notice the glow right away because I was too busy wondering where Charmander would appear. And the smoke you used so I wouldn't see you plan take form."

Brock stopped himself, and laughed at his own excitement.

"I didn't know Charmander could learn Counter though." he remarked.

Red grinned. "It can if its father is a Rhydon."

Brock laughed and handed Red the gray octagon-shaped pin, and Red couldn't help but smile.

"My first badge. Thank you, Brock."

As he started walking out he stopped at the exit for one last comment.

"But you know, dude... you didn't lose because you underestimated me. I'm just a very, very good battler."

Brock chuckled. "Good luck on the rest of your journey, Red. I'm looking forward to the next time I see you."

Red smiled and closed the door.

"These Pallet kids are strong. First Green, and now those two." Brock said to himself. "The next time I see them will probably be in the league"

He chuckled to himself and walked out of the arena.

* * *

_To be continued..._

_Feel free to leave a review or a comment if you want to, but please avoid spoilers._


	3. Mt Moon

**The FireRed/LeafGreen/WaterBlue ****Chronicles**

**Chapter III**

**Mt. Moon**

* * *

"Wait... what?" Red was confused.

"I told you," Blue repeated herself. "I think we should split up. I figure it would be best fo-"

"Drop the speech, Blue!" he interrupted. "Why do you suddenly want to travel by yourself? I thought we agreed when we were younger that we would do this together. As a team."

Blue stared into his hazel-colored eyes.

"Do you remember when we made that promise? Green was there too, and he was supposed to come with us. And then the... incident happened, and he stopped speaking to us. Things change, Red." Blue turned her back to him. "It's not this is the last time we see each other. I honestly think this will be a good thing. For both of us."

Red was speechless as she walked away from him.

"Did I do something wrong?" he wondered.

Blue was glad she had her back turned to him. That way he couldn't see that she was crying.

Red sat down to process what had just happened. "I guess I have to carry on by myself then..."

He reached into his backpack and pulled out his map of Kanto.

"Hmm... The closest gym is in Cerulean City. I guess that'll be my next stop."

He put the map back and took out the list he had of the eight official gym leaders of Kanto.

"Let's see... Cerulean Gym. Leader: Misty. Type: Water." He smiled. "Sorry Charmander, you'll have to sit this one out. Doesn't matter though, Pikachu should be able to handle this one easily."

As he started walking toward his next destination, he could've sworn he heard something behind him, but when he turned around, there was nothing there.

"That was weird." he commented, before he moved on.

* * *

"Oh my God! Is this cave ever gonna end?" Red shouted in frustration.

He had been wandering around the inside of Mt. Moon for about three hours, and he was getting sick of it. Once again, the sound of footsteps appeared behind him, and he turned around.

"Still nothing there..." The boy grabbed a Pokéball from his belt, and tried to look around the walls of the cave, but it was too dark.

"Pikachu, Flash!"

He closed his eyes and threw the ball, releasing his electric mouse. Immediately after it materialized, its body released a bright light, illuminating every inch of the cave. As the light started to fade, Red and Pikachu noticed a blinded Jigglypuff stumbling around, confused.

"So you're the one that's been following us?" Red asked the pink Pokémon.

Jigglypuff seemed to be getting its sight back, and it saw that the trainer had seen him.

The balloon Pokémon opened its mouth and started singing a high-pitched note. Multiple red rings came out of its mouth, growing bigger as the circles closed in on Pikachu and Red.

Red and his Pokémon held their ears in pain.

The Jigglypuff grinned, and ran behind Red and grabbed his backpack.

"Hey!" Red yelled. He started running after the Jigglypuff, trying to get his backpack back. "Stop, you fat bastard!"

Jigglypuff abruptly stopped running. It turned around, and Red could see it was furious.

"Pika..." Pikachu mumbled nervously.

"Pikachu, I think I hurt its feelings." Red stated.

The Jigglypuff used its round body to roll towards the trainer and his mouse with incredible speed and power. Pikachu managed to dodge, but Red was too slow, and the Pokémon slammed into him, sending him into the cave wall.

"Ouch. Oh man, that hurt." Red complained while holding his back in pain. "Pikachu, ThunderShock!"

Pikachu's cheeks glowed yellow, and it released multiple lightning bolts from its body at the Jigglypuff.

The round Pokémon was clearly hurt by the attack, and it curled up again, getting ready for another Rollout.

"Pikachu, Thunder Wave!" Red ordered quickly.

The electric mouse released bolts of electricity at the pink Pokémon.

Jigglypuff became paralyzed, unable to move.

"Finish it with an Energy Ball!" Red shouted.

Pikachu's tail became surrounded with yellow electricity. All the electricity condensed at the tip of its tail and formed into an orange-yellow orb of electricity with sparks coming off it. The mouse jumped into the air and did a front flip, throwing the orb of electricity at the Jigglypuff.

Jigglypuff squealed in pain, and fell down on the ground. It had fainted.

Red grabbed his backpack, and pulled a Pokéball from it. He threw it at the unconscious Jigglypuff, and it was absorbed in a red light. It didn't even bounce around once. Red had caught it instantly.

"Good job, Pikachu." Red congratulated his Pokémon.

Pikachu smiled back at him, pleased with itself, before he returned it to its Pokéball.

They continued walking through the cave. Once they rounded a corner they saw an unexpected sight.

A brown-haired man wearing a purple shirt and beige pants was being held up against the cave wall by a black-clothed man.

Red hid behind a rock before the two men could notice them. He tried to hear what they were saying.

The man being held up, who was probably in his early twenties, sounded frightened. "I'm telling you, I can't give it to you!"

"Yes, you will!" the man in black demanded. "My superiors really want the meteorite!"

He threw the young man to the ground, and released an Ekans.

"Now tell me where it is, or I'll use Ekans here to bite you until you eventually die from the poison." the man threatened.

The snake stared menacingly at the shivering young man.

"I-I... I can't tell you. Whatever plans your bosses have, they can't be anything but evil."

The Ekans looked up at its master, who nodded. It then lowered its head, ready to strike.

The young man closed his eyes.

"Jigglypuff, Pound!"

The newly healed balloon-Pokémon hit Ekans from the side, sending it into a cave wall.

Red stepped forward and helped the young man up while the black-clothed man stared at them with a confused look on his face.

"Who the hell are you supposed to be kid?"

Red smiled confidently. While Jigglypuff went back to his side, he released the rest of his Pokémon.

Charmander, Pikachu, Butterfree and Jigglypuff grinned with the same confidence as their trainer.

"I'm the guy who's gonna kick your ass!"

* * *

The black-clothed man's facial expression changed back to angry.

Red noticed a big, red R printed on the chest area of the man's shirt. "What's with the R?" he wondered.

The young man answered his question. "It stands for Rocket. That bastard is a member of Team Rocket, a horrible organization that-"

"That's enough!" the Rocket grunt shouted. "We could have avoided all of this if you would have just given me the damn meteorite! Now I have to kill you both!"

His Ekans, having finally regained its senses, returned to him as he released a Zubat and a Mankey as well.

Red took charge quickly. "Jigglypuff, use Pound on the ceiling rocks to separate us!"

Jigglypuff prepared to jump, but stopped when the young man started shouting all of a sudden.

"No! Not there!" He quickly covered his mouth, realizing what he had said.

The Rocket member smirked. "Zubat, use your ultrasound to locate the meteor in the ceiling."

Zubat pinpointed the location of the space-rock within a couple of seconds.

"Well done," he thanked the bat, "now all we need to do is kill these guys and then we'll take the meteorite."

"Not if I have something to say about it!" Red caught the Rocket-member off guard as he tackled him, sending them both crashing into the ground.

Ekans, Mankey and Zubat moved toward the two humans to attack Red, but his Pokémon stopped them.

Charmander grabbed Mankey's tail and threw it into a cave wall while Butterfree flew into Zubat, sending them both spiraling down the cave. Ekans managed to squirm past Jigglypuff and bite Red's leg before it was hit by a Quick Attack from Pikachu.

Red rubbed his leg in pain, then he noticed the grunt trying to get up from the ground. He grabbed his pants and pulled him down again. The grunt punched Red in his stomach, and Red kicked the grunt's face. The grunt pushed Red into the ground and got on top of him.

"The meteorite belongs to Team Rocket! You will be defeated" the man shouted through the blood streaming from his nose.

Red laughed, and pointed to their side.

The grunt's eyes widened as he saw Pikachu and Jigglypuff standing with the young man, who held two rocks.

The meteorite, which Pikachu had retrieved without the grunt noticing, and a Moon Stone.

"Try defeating this!" the young man said as he touched Jigglypuff's forehead with the Moon Stone.

The Pokémon started glowing.

Red, Pikachu, the young man, and the Rocket grunt watched as the glowing shape that used to be Jigglypuff changed. Once the glow faded and the evolution was completed, the newly evolved Wigglytuff stared right into the eyes of the bad man holding its master down.

Red used the distraction to punch the Rocket member's nose, causing him to remove himself from the boy and stand up, clutching his nose in pain.

"Body Slam!" Red ordered.

Wigglytuff breathed in air, inflating itself, and charged toward the dazed villain. It hit him hard enough to launch him into a large boulder, and the grunt blacked out before he hit the ground.

Pikachu noticed the Ekans trying to get away, and released a bolt of electricity from its cheeks, shocking the snake and rendering it unconscious. Simultaneously, Butterfree returned from within the cave, having beaten the Zubat.

Red got up and saw, curiously enough, Charmander shaking hands with the Mankey.

"Did you two become friends or something?" Red asked.

The two Pokémon nodded, and Mankey gave Red an army salute to show its respect.

He picked up the Rocket's Pokéball, and looked at Mankey. "You don't like this guy, do you?"

The Mankey nodded again.

"Here's an idea." Red suggested. "what if I adopt you? Would that be okay?"

Mankey jumped up and down with joy, and Red broke the ball in two. Then he grabbed a Pokéball and put it on the ground. Mankey stepped forward and willingly entered it. Red then returned all of his other Pokémon.

The young man threw the Moon Stone away. "That's useless now." He put the meteorite in his pocket and walked over to Red. "Thank you for saving me."

Red shook the man's hand. "No problem. I'm Red by the way, nice to meet you."

"Hello Red. My name is Bill."

"Cool. Hey, why did he want that rock thingie?" Red wondered

"I honestly don't know. A friend of mine from Hoenn, Prof. Cozmo, sent it to me a couple of weeks ago. I'm not even sure what I'm supposed to do with it myself."

The two got silent for a moment, both not really sure what else to say.

"So... do you know the way out?" Red asked, mostly to get rid of the awkward silence.

"Sure, let me show you." Bill answered, and Red gleefully followed him, excited to get out of the cave.

The Rocket grunt was left alone on the ground.

As soon as the two were gone he stood up and grabbed a cell phone from his pocket.

"Yeah, it's me. I failed. I know, sorry, but one of the Pallet kids showed up. Yes, I got the name. He's called Red."

The voice in the other end chuckled menacingly.

* * *

Not long after, Red was standing with Bill in the middle of another new city.

"Welcome to Cerulean City, Red." Bill told the teen. "I'm heading to Vermillion City so I can take the boat home to Johto, so I guess we'll part ways here."

Red and Bill shook hands

"See ya, Bill." Red waved the young man goodbye while he walked away.

The young teenager decided to sit down in a nearby park and count his Pokémon. "Charmander, Butterfree, Pikachu, Wigglytuff and Mankey. That's five Pokémon!" He looked up and noticed a building with a big sign on it. "Cerulean City Gym?"

Red stared at the Pokéballs in his hands and chuckled. "Piece of cake!"

* * *

Red stepped inside of the Gym and was greeted by a man wearing nothing but a speedo. The young teenager decided not to comment on it.

"Welcome to Cerulean Gym. My name is Luis. Pokémon and badges?"

Red, who had yet to learn the pre-battle rules, misunderstood what the nearly naked man had asked. "You're giving out free Pokémon and badges?" he asked with excitement written over his entire face. "I'll take a Rhydon, a Hypno, a Snorlax, a Va-"

The man in the speedo had an embarrassed look on his face as he stopped the ranting boy by putting a hand over his mouth. "No, I... dude, did you forget to pay your brain bill? I need to know how many Pokémon you have and how many badges you have won so that the leader can know what team to use against you."

Red finally understood, and gave the man the answers he wanted. Afterwards, the man guided Red to a battlefield floating on a large pool.

An 18-year old girl with orange hair bound in a ponytail came out from under the water and climbed up onto the platform. She was wearing nothing but a blue two-part bikini.

Red wondered why no one in this gym wore real clothes.

"Hi, you're a new face. I'm Misty, the Gym Leader." the girl presented herself, smiling. "We're going to use two Pokémon each. Is that okay?"

Red grabbed a Pokéball from his belt and, with confidence in his voice, replied: "Bring it!"

A platform lowered from the ceiling to on top of the pool, and Red and Misty stepped onto it.

"Ready?" Misty asked while releasing a Staryu.

"Please, this'll be over before you know it!" Red laughed, and released Pikachu.

"Pikachu, ThunderShock!"

Pikachu did as Red commanded, and fired off a ball of electricity toward the Staryu. "Light Screen followed by Swift!" Misty yelled.

Staryu's gem started shining, and it created a hexagonal blue energy-screen in front of it. The electric ball hit and was absorbed by the screen, which then faded. Staryu fired multiple white stars from the gem in the center of its body toward Pikachu.

"Get away!" Red warned, but the stars followed Pikachu even though it tried to run away. It was hit hard and fell into the water outside of the platform.

Red wiped the sweat off of his forehead. "This is tougher than I thought it would be!"

Staryu dove into the water after Misty commanded a Rapid Spin.

Pikachu, who was attempting to swim back to the platform, barely noticed the star Pokémon before it rammed into it, leaving the mouse floating face-down in the pool. Red returned it while Staryu returned from the water and landed on the platform.

Misty raised her voice. "Red, I didn't realize you were telling the truth when you said it would be over quickly."

Red's hand moved between the four remaining Pokéballs stuck to his belt.

He had no idea what Pokémon to choose. His thoughts spun around in his head. "_Definitely not Charmander. Maybe Butterfree? Mankey? Wigglytuff could work. What am I supposed to do?"_

He noticed the impatient look on Misty's face. "Alright, here goes nothing! Wigglytuff!"

Wigglytuff materialized out of the Pokéball and landed in front of Staryu.

"Wigglytuff, Double-"

"Power Gem!" Misty interrupted.

A glowing orange ball was formed in front of the star Pokémon. The gem in its center started shining again, and the ball's size grew dramatically. It was at least three times as large as Wigglytuff.

"Oh no." Red muttered.

Staryu launched the ball into Wigglytuff, and the pink Pokémon was pushed into the platform so hard that it and the ball broke through the platform and fell to the bottom of the pool.

The glowing orange faded, and Wigglytuff returned to the surface. Floating face-down, just like Pikachu.

Red returned it. He was shocked by what had just happened.

"Hmm." Misty looked at the hole. "I'll have to tell Luis to fix that." She looked at the stunned teenager on the other side of the battlefield. "Better luck next time, Red."

She left the room, leaving a speechless Red alone on the platform.

* * *

While Red had set his sights on Cerulean, Blue had decided to travel over the sea to get to the Fire-type Gym on Cinnabar Island.

Wartortle was walking next to her, wondering why they weren't traveling with Red and his Pokémon anymore.

"Don't worry about it, Mary. It's just you and me now... and that's kind of fun, isn't it?"

Wartortle nodded.

"Besides, we get to visit my parents and eat mom's food since we have to go through Pallet to get to Cinnabar."

When she set foot back in her hometown, Blue couldn't help but feel happy at the sight of her hometown. Wartortle also seemed to enjoy the sight. Blue went over to her house and knocked on the door.

Nobody answered.

"That's odd, Mary. They're usually home around this time."

Wartortle got a happy expression on its face as it saw Prof. Oak's laboratory, and ran over to it. It couldn't get the door open, so it went over to a window and looked in through it to see if Oak was home.

Its eyes widened as it saw what was inside, and it rushed back to its trainer.

Blue couldn't understand what Wartortle was trying to warn her about.

She screamed as somebody suddenly grabbed her and Wartortle. A hand covered her mouth, and they were brought into the laboratory.

* * *

_To be continued..._

_Feel free to leave a review or a comment if you want to, but please avoid spoilers._


	4. Rematch

**The FireRed/LeafGreen/WaterBlue ****Chronicles**

**Chapter IV**

**Rematch**

* * *

After being defeated by Misty, Red had walked to a nearby forest to sit down and think about the loss.

Charmander was sitting next to him, listening to his complaints.

"I can't believe I lost, Char... I lost to Misty, and Blue left, and we're all alone, and everything is just horrible and I hate everything!" he ranted.

"Shut up. You sound like a baby."

Red and Charmander instantly recognized the voice. They looked up and saw Green Oak standing before them. He seemed serious like usual.

"You lost to a Gym Leader. What's the big deal? Losing is just another part of what being a trainer is all about. You can't start doubting yourself and go out in the forest to cry every time that happens."

Red got up and dusted himself off. "So what am I supposed to do?"

Green grabbed a Pokéball. "You'll do what real trainers do. You'll train so that you don't lose again."

Red stared into his rival's eyes. He knew that Green meant that he should train his Pokémon by fighting wild ones, or generally practice their abilities. But that wasn't what Red felt he needed at the moment. He was frustrated because of the loss, because Blue left, and because Green always acted so superior toward him.

Red wanted a more personal way to train.

"You and me, Green! Right now! I challenge you to a battle!"

Green shrugged. He wasn't surprised by his rival's response. "I'm going to be honest with you, Red. I don't think you'll ever have what it takes to beat me."

Red could feel the anger bubbling to the surface, and he threw a Pokéball at Green. "Go Pikachu!"

Green ducked and avoided getting hit by the ball, and looked back to see the ball hitting the ground, opening, and releasing Pikachu.

The electric mouse sensed its trainer's feelings, and knew this was an important battle. It was determined to do its best for Red, and walked over to him, but not before slapping Green's calf with its tail.

Green smirked and threw his Pokéball straight up into the air, releasing his Pidgeotto.

"Red, my Pidgeotto is newly evolved so I apologize if it's unable to hold back against you. I'm going to try to not completely destroy your Pokémon."

"Shut up, Green! Why do you think you're so much better than me and Blue?!" Red retorted.

Green kept his calm, but he could feel that he was getting annoyed. "Red, I'm from Pallet, and you two are from Pallet. It's up to us to build a reputation for our tiny town. So come on! Let's get this over with!"

"Fine!" Red turned to Pikachu. "Pikachu, Quick Attack!"

Pikachu started running toward Pidgeotto, fast enough to leave a silver trail behind it. Pidgeotto barely saw it coming, but managed to fly up to avoid the mouse. Pikachu slowed down, and looked up at the bird. It decided to attempt another attack, and jumped up toward the bird.

"Pidgeotto, Steel Wing!" Green ordered.

The bird's left wing started glowing white, and it hit Pikachu with it, sending it back to the ground.

"Your mouse is fast." Green noted. "Sand-Attack, Pidgeotto!"

Pidgeotto flapped its wings, spewing up sand into Pikachu's eyes. It tried rubbing the sand out, but failed.

"Pikachu, try a Thunderbolt" Red yelled.

The yellow mouse released a bolt of electricity. Pidgeotto flew under the bolt and dove toward Pikachu. Pikachu tried to move away, but the sand in its fur caused enough discomfort to keep it from running. Pidgeotto slammed into it head-first, and Pikachu fell down.

"Pikachu, before it gets away, ThunderShock!"

Pikachu followed the command and released several sparks of electricity, but missed completely.

Green acted fast without skipping a beat. "Pidgeotto, now! Whirlwind!"

Pidgeotto flapped its wings, generating a strong wind.

Pikachu was swept up by the wind and got thrown several feet. The mouse tried to get back up, but Pidgeotto rushed into it before it managed to. Pikachu fell back down while Pidgeotto flew back to its trainer.

Red stared at his fainted Pokémon. "Oh no." He returned it. "Sorry, Pikachu."

"That's one down, Red. Honestly, if you want to beat the Gym Leader, try to at least take out one of my Pokémon." he mocked while returning Pidgeotto.

"Fine! Take this!" Red yelled before releasing his Mankey. Green smirked and released an Abra.

The pig monkey stared nervously at the psi-Pokémon.

"Mankey, Karate Chop!" Red ordered.

Mankey leaped toward the Abra with its palm open. It tried to hit the psychic Pokémon with the side of its hand, but Abra glowed white and disappeared. Mankey stared at the spot where its opponent had just been standing.

"Mankey, behind you!" Red warned.

Mankey turned around and saw Abra standing there. The fighting Pokémon tried to hit it again, but once again, Abra teleported away.

"Red, don't you think this has gone on long enough?" Green asked after Mankey's sixth attempt at hitting Abra. "Abra, finish this!"

Abra put its hands in front of it and fired a light blue energy beam at Mankey.

Mankey fainted instantly.

Red returned it. "I didn't know Abra could do anything other than Teleporting?"

Green shrugged. "It's called TM's, Red. What kind of trainer doesn't know about TM's?"

"Shut up, Green! Go, Wigglytuff! Rollout!"

Red's newly thrown Pokéball released a pink sphere which rolled toward Abra with tremendous speed.

Abra didn't have time to teleport away, and when Wigglytuff hit it, it was thrown back to its trainer.

Green absorbed the Pokémon back into its Pokéball, and watched Wigglytuff roll back to Red before it stood up. "Your Wigglytuff's rolling speed is pretty good." Green admitted. "Of course, if Abra wasn't tired from teleporting so much, it would have gotten away easily." he added.

"Just release your next Pokémon and stop talking!" Red shouted.

"Rattata, go!" Green yelled while throwing his next Pokéball.

The rat Pokémon materialized and stared at Wigglytuff.

"Now!" both trainers yelled simultaneously.

Wigglytuff and Rattata ran toward each other, clashing in mid-air. Rattata bit Wigglytuff's ear and the two rolled on the ground as the balloon Pokémon tried to shake the rat off.

Rattata let go, but before it could bite down again Wigglytuff grabbed its tail and threw it into the air.

Wigglytuff jumped after it and grabbed its tail again, preparing to throw it into the ground.

"Rattata, stop it!" Green ordered.

Rattata slashed Wigglytuff across the face, and Wigglytuff lost its grip. Rattata jumped off Wigglytuff's head and landed safely on its feet while Wigglytuff fell down on its stomach.

"Rattata, Fury Swipes!"

Green's Pokémon ran toward Wigglytuff, who was still trying to get up, and started slashing it repeatedly with its glowing claws.

"Wigglytuff, retreat!" Red shouted, concerned for his Pokémon.

Wigglytuff slapped Rattata away and did what Red told it to do.

Red could see Wigglytuff breathing heavily, not to mention the claw marks surrounding its body. He put his hand on its shoulder. "It's enough, Wigglytuff. You did good." He returned it and stared furiously at Green, who returned the rat and released Bulbasaur.

Charmander, who was still sitting on the sidelines watching the battle, glared at the grass starter.

Red released Butterfree. "Butterfree, Gust!"

Butterfree started flapping its wings, but Bulbasaur reacted quickly. It grabbed Butterfree with its vines and slammed it into the ground twice before it threw the butterfly into a tree.

Red was shocked. Both by the sheer brutality of Bulbasaur's move, but also by how quickly it defeated Butterfree.

"Red, you need to calm down. Your head's not in the game, and that's why you're losing." Green advised his rival.

Charmander had been watching the whole fight, and as it observed its teammate being returned, it got tired of waiting. It could feel the power building up inside. It craved a good fight, and Green's Bulbasaur was as much its rival as Green was Red's.

Red noticed Charmander's behavior, and it took one look between the two of them for him to realize that Green was right; he had to calm down.

He closed his eyes, and stood completely still. He took a deep breath before he opened his eyes, and Green noticed the determination in his eyes.

"So, do you think you can handle what comes next?" Green asked.

Red took off his cap and threw it onto his backpack lying on the ground. His brown hair waved freely in the wind, and after he took one last deep breath, he pointed his finger toward his rival.

"Piece of cake!"

Charmander and Bulbasaur stared each other down. The two starter Pokémon had often gotten into arguments when they were under Oak's care, having to be separated by either Squirtle or the professor himself.

Red and Green stared each other down just as intensely as their Pokémon.

"Okay Green. Let's do this!"

Green smirked. "About time."

"Charmander!"

"Bulbasaur!"

They both had a fierce look in their eyes as they commanded their Pokémon to attack.

Bulbasaur started running toward the fire starter, but Charmander opened its mouth and released a small Ember attack, causing the grass in front of Bulbasaur to burn. Bulbasaur backed away from the fire, but as it did it noticed Charmander suddenly running from the side toward it. Bulbasaur noticed it had its back against a tree, and the fire in front of it.

Charmander had trapped it. Or so the fire lizard thought.

"Go Charmander," Red yelled, "get it now!"

Just before Charmander tackled Bulbasaur, the grass Pokémon shot out its vines to grab hold of a tree branch above it, lifting itself up to safety. As Charmander passed it, it dropped down and released two razor-sharp leaves from its bulb, hitting Charmander from behind with them and making it trip.

Green smiled, pleased with his Pokémon's performance.

"_Wow_," Red thought to himself, "_that was a great move by Bulbasaur_."

Charmander got up, and turned to face Bulbasaur again. Bulbasaur had a smug look on its face. Charmander really wanted to wipe it off.

"Charmander, let's try something like what we did against Onix!" Red yelled.

Charmander nodded, and released a fire that gathered around Bulbasaur. The smoke caused by the fire obscured Bulbasaur's sight.

"Bulbasaur, focus!" Green ordered.

Bulbasaur closed its eyes, and listened. It heard the fast steps of the fire lizard, how they disappeared once it jumped into the air. Charmander bursted out from the smoke, its claws shining like metal. Bulbasaur's vines shot out from its bulb, grabbing Charmander's arms. Charmander was suspended in the air by Bulbasaur's vines, and it knew Bulbasaur was about to smash it into the ground.

"Charmander, Flamethrower!"

Charmander opened its mouth and fired off the flamethrower directly at Bulbasaur. The vines retracted into the bulb and Charmander dropped to the ground, immediately jumping on Bulbasaur, pinning it to the ground.

The two Pokémon growled at each other, and Bulbasaur pushed itself and Charmander up from the ground. The two Pokémon were now standing face to face, trying to push the other one away.

Bulbasaur grinned as it started to get the upper hand, but suddenly, Charmander started to glow brightly!

Bulbasaur could not only see the bright light transforming into a larger creature, but it could also feel the strength of the glowing creature increasing.

The light faded, and Charmander had become Charmeleon.

"Char, that's awesome!" Red cheered.

Green's face changed from confident to annoyed.

Charmeleon pushed with all its might, and Bulbasaur fell to the ground. The bulb Pokémon bravely stood up again, but Green intervened. "Enough Bulbasaur!"

He could see that his rival was wondering what was going on. "Red, there's no point in continuing. Bulbasaur doesn't stand a chance now, and there's no point in keeping a losing Pokémon on the field."

"That's bullshit Green! You're just afraid of seeing me defeat your little grass frog!"

Bulbasaur seemed offended, but marched back to its trainer's side.

"Red, we could keep doing this, and Bulbasaur would lose. I don't feel like letting my Pokémon fight in a meaningless battle I know it's going to lose."

Charmeleon cracked a smile. It felt powerful.

"However," Green continued, "don't think this means you won. At most, it's a tie. Yes, you would've beaten Bulbasaur, but Pidgeotto and Rattata would've taken your lizard down after that."

Red and Charmeleon glared at him.

Green sat down on the ground. "Anyway, there's no way you're going to be able to defeat any more Gym leaders if you don't start training your Pokémon differently."

Red and Green returned their Pokémon.

"What do you mean?" Red asked while he sat down as well.

"Here's the deal. First off. Your Pikachu is horribly trained. Yes, it's fast, but it's got no defense, and the variety of its attacks are miserable. You rely too much on offensive electric moves, and its aim has got to improve. Second, Wigglytuff. Strong, but so few moves. It's clearly newly evolved, and you should've probably waited for it to learn more moves before it did. It can't learn new attacks by itself anymore, so you're gonna have to TM the hell out of that thing. Third, Mankey is probably a fresh capture. It's very slow when it comes to reacting to your commands, and you don't seem to know too much about what it can do. Fourth, Butterfree. It needs to be quicker to react. And last of all, your Charmeleon... It seems that's the one thing you've gotten right."

"Why are you helping me?" Red asked his rival.

Green laughed. "I told you. We represent Pallet Town. We can't be weak if we're going to do that." He stood up. "Red, I'm going to be honest. These Pokémon can be trained, but if you really want to become a strong trainer, then you need to replace some of them with some stronger species." he said, before he started walking away.

"Hey," Red called out, "thanks for the advice, Green."

Green didn't turn around, and kept walking as he answered. "This was a one-time thing, Red. Don't think this makes us friends again or anything."

Red watched Green walk away until he disappeared from sight as usual.

"_I guess it would take a lot for that to happen_." Red thought.

"I know my Pokémon needs training." he said to himself. "But I need to defeat the Gyms as soon as possible so I can meet up with Blue again before the league. I know I should train, but..." he lowered his head, "I don't have time for that."

He looked up and into the woods.

"I couldn't defeat her with the Pokémon I have... so I guess I'll have to find something that can do the job!"

He ran into the forest, ready to capture a Pokémon that could defeat Misty.

* * *

The next day, Red stepped onto the platform inside Cerulean Gym for the second time in his life. Misty, looking as confident as she did the day before, stood on the other side.

"Welcome back, Red. Do you think you've gotten strong enough to defeat me since yesterday?"

Red grinned. "You have no idea."

Misty smiled. She released Staryu at the same time as Red released Pikachu.

The gym leader laughed. "That weak mouse again? My Staryu defeated it easily last time!"

Red and Pikachu smiled at each other.

"And this time, Pikachu will defeat you!"

"Staryu, Water Pulse"

The star Pokémon fired a blue ball of energy from the gem in its center. The ball glided across a stream of water that was created under the ball toward Pikachu.

The electric mouse dodged the ball, which continued past Red and crashed into the wall, dissolving into water. Pikachu ran over toward Staryu and stopped in front of it.

"Now!" Red yelled. "Destroy that gem!"

"How-" Misty exclaimed.

Pikachu headbutted Staryu's gem, which cracked, and Staryu started trembling.

Red's smile widened. "I knew that blinky-thingie was important! Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"

Pikachu smirked as it released a thunderbolt into Staryu's cracked gem, shocking the Pokémon from the inside out and sending it flying into the water.

"I didn't think you'd figure out that Staryu's gem is its power-source." Misty commented while returning her Pokémon.

"I told you I was stronger." Red replied.

Misty grabbed a new Pokéball and released her Starmie.

"But, as we both know, Starmie is the real star of this show! Red, you're going down!"

Red chuckled. "I don't think so. Pikachu, return."

Pikachu dissolved into bright light and returned to its Pokéball.

"You're not going to use Pikachu?" Misty asked.

"No, I want to make sure I win." Red answered, "Pikachu put everything it had into that Thunderbolt, so it's too tired. Instead, I'm going to use the Pokémon I used to defeat all the trainers training outside of the city!"

Misty's jaw dropped. "But- That's like... at least twenty trainers!"

"And thanks to your influence, half of them were water specialists."

"No way." Misty started to realize what this meant.

"Exactly. This is my specially-trained-to-defeat-water-types-Pokémon!" Red shouted as he released his Pokémon.

An Oddish wasn't what Misty expected to see coming out of Red's Pokéball, but it made sense.

"I guess grass is effective against water. But wouldn't electricity be better?" she asked.

"Let's see." Red replied.

He wasn't about to let Misty come up with a strategy, so he started the match.

"Oddish, Cut!"

The grass Pokémon ran toward Starmie.

"Starmie, up!" Misty yelled.

Starmie floated up, out of Oddish's reach.

"Fooled you! Leech Seed!" Red shouted.

Oddish released three small seeds from the plant on its head, all of which attached to Starmie's body, who couldn't get away fast enough due to being in the air.

"Oh no!" Misty knew the seeds were slowly absorbing energy from her Pokémon, and transferring it to Oddish.

"Of course, we're not finished yet! Oddish, Sleep Powder!"

"Starmie, dive into the water to get away!"

Starmie tried to do what its master said, but the seeds were weighing it down. It couldn't get to the water before the blue, sparkling powder scattered around it.

Red grinned widely as the Starmie fell asleep.

"Okay, let's finish this! Oddish, Mega Drain!"

The leaves on Oddish's head started to glow white, and it shot a dark green beam from the leaves at Starmie. The green beam grabbed the Starmie, trapping it inside and sucking its energy. As it did, Starmie became outlined in red and the beam turned red. The beam released the starfish and went back to Oddish. The grass type glowed white when the beam went back to it, and its colors became vibrant.

Oddish jumped up and down, filled with energy.

Starmie, who's colors had become faded, fell down.

Misty pouted, and returned her unconscious Pokémon.

Red cheered, hugged his newest capture, and returned it.

Misty laughed, and walked over to him. "Wow, Red. I underestimated you, didn't I?"

He smiled from ear to ear as she put the light blue teardrop-shaped cascadebadge into his hand.

"Good luck with the rest of your journey, Red. I'm looking forward to watching you battle in the league championship." Misty said.

Red thanked her before he left the Gym. He looked at a sign, and started walking to his next destination.

"Vermillion City, here I come!"

* * *

_To be continued..._

_Feel free to leave a review or a comment if you want to, but please avoid spoilers._


	5. SS Anne

**The FireRed/LeafGreen/WaterBlue ****Chronicles**

**Chapter V**

**SS Anne**

* * *

"Finally."

Red took a deep breath. After several days of walking, he had arrived in Vermillion City.

As he was strolling around and checking the place out, he accidentally bumped into a young girl half his age.

"Sorry, sir." she apologized.

"That's okay. By the way, I'm still too young to be called sir." he laughed.

The girl noticed the Pokéballs attached to his belt. "You're a trainer?"

Red smiled. "Yup, that's right."

The young girl grabbed a Pokéball from her purse.

"Do you want to trade one of your Pokémon for my Farfetch'd?"

Red was caught off-guard by the request. He considered the proposal for a few seconds, but the answer was clear in his head.

"Little girl, I'm sure your Farfetch'd would make a great addition to my team, but I don't think I can leave any of my Pokémon. They're like family to me. I bet deep down, you feel the same way about your Farfetch'd."

The girl nodded, thanked him and walked away.

Red heard someone clapping their hands behind him. He turned around, only to see a tiny old man. His huge beard somehow failed in hiding the huge smile on his face.

"Boy howdy! Spoken lahke a true Pokéymon lover! Ah'm the chairmayn of the Pokéymon Club, and due to that thur wonderful speech-" His voice choked up.

Red felt embarrassed when he saw teardrops flow down the old man's cheeks.

"Ah-Ah wanna give yer this here!" The old man held up a ticket.

Red grabbed it. "S.S. Anne? A cruise ship?"

The old man sensed his doubt. "Dat spahky-haired kiddo from earlier didn't want it either..."

Red realized he was talking about Green. "I'll take it! How much do you want?"

The old man was confused. "Er, Ah told yer boy, Ah wanna give yer it."

"For free, just like that?"

The old man smiled gently. "Oh boy, yer engine's runnin' but there ain't nobody drivin', huh? Take it boy, and have fun."

Red grabbed the ticket. "Thank you, old tiny man!" He bent down and hugged the old man before he ran toward the harbor.

* * *

When he got to the harbor, he was stunned by the size of the cruise ship. He walked over to what he though was the line for the cruise, but then he noticed that the people were standing in a circle, watching something in the middle of it. He pushed his way forward and was surprised to see his rival again.

Green was standing in the middle, returning his Pidgeotto.

A young (and apparently defeated) trainer was crying opposite them.

Green spoke to the crowd. "We've still got ten minutes to go! Is there anyone left here who thinks they can beat me?"

"I'll give it a shot!"

Green smiled slyly as he recognized the voice.

Red stepped into the middle. "Ready to do this again, Green?"

Green chuckled. "This is hardly a fair match, Red. I've just battled five trainers. If we were to be evenly matched, I'd have to battle five more."

The crowd laughed, but Red didn't let it bother him.

"So Green, how many Pokémon?"

"Best out of three?"

"Why not? It'll be a piece of cake to beat you."

The crowd's cheering stopped as they observed the two trainers getting ready to fight.

Green and Red threw their Pokéballs toward each other, releasing Raticate and Wigglytuff.

"Your Rattata evolved?" Red asked.

"Obviously." Green replied dryly.

Raticate leaped forward against Wigglytuff in an attempt to scratch it, but the balloon Pokémon countered with a dodge and a Pound. Wigglytuff's punch sent Raticate into the ground. The rat Pokémon tried to get up, but was forced into the ground again by Wigglytuff, who sat down on it.

"Wigglytuff, Thunderbolt!" Red yelled.

"What?" Green hadn't thought Red would've been smart enough to take his advice to teach his Pokémon TM's.

Wigglytuff blasted the rat with the electric shock, and jumped off it afterwards.

Raticate didn't get up.

"Didn't expect that one huh?" Red laughed.

Green stared smugly at his rival. "No, I'll admit I didn't do that. But just because it doesn't leap up immediately doesn't mean Raticate is unconscious."

Red noticed that Raticate was awake. He tried to warn Wigglytuff, who had turned its back to the rat, but he was too slow.

Raticate rushed into the balloon Pokémon and bit down hard into its back.

Wigglytuff tried to shake it off, but this time the rat's jaws were much stronger, and it refused to let go.

"Finish it." Green ordered nonchalantly. "Crunch."

Raticate's teeth glowed white, and it bit down even harder, sinking its teeth into Wigglytuff's skin.

Wigglytuff shrieked in pain, and Raticate let go out of mercy. Immediately after the rat let go, Wigglytuff fell to its knees. It looked up at Red with weak eyes.

Red leaned down and held his Pokémon's hand. "I'm so sorry, Wigglytuff. We'll get it next time."

Wigglytuff smiled before it dissolved into a red light as Red returned it.

"Ready for more?" Green shouted to the crowd.

They cheered, and Red stood up in determination. He grabbed a Pokéball and threw it, releasing his Mankey.

Green noticed that Mankey seemed nervous.

"_Okay Mankey. I know you haven't won a single match yet, but this time, I'm really hoping you will_." Red thought to himself.

"Are we going to battle or are you just going to stand there?" Green mocked.

"I'm gonna win! Mankey! Low Kick!" Red yelled.

Mankey obeyed its trainer's order, jumping toward the rat with its leg extended.

Green chuckled. "Raticate, Sucker Punch!"

Raticate closed its fist and dodged Mankey's kick, then punched the fighting Pokémon's stomach with all its might.

Mankey gasped for air, and flew up into the air as Raticate hit it again.

"You know what to do, Raticate! Charge Beam!"

Raticate lowered its head slightly and an orb of yellow electricity formed in front of its mouth. The rat then fired a beam of yellow electricity from the orb at Mankey.

Mankey was shocked by the electricity, and fell down to the ground. It was defeated.

Red stared at his beaten Pokémon. He felt a twinge of anger as he returned it, and for a moment he hesitated to put the Pokéball back on his belt.

Green noticed it, and thought to himself "_About time he realized Pokémon training isn't all about having fun with the first Pokémon you catch. If they're too weak, you'll have to replace them. Simple as that_."

A random bystander declared Green the winner, and the crowd cheered for more.

Red was disappointed, while Green waved to the crowd with a smile on his face.

A man in a suit stood by the ship's entrance and spoke to all the people waiting to get on board. "Gentlemen, ladies, children! Welcome to the S.S. Anne!"

The crowd began to enter the cruise ship, and Red and Green were left standing alone.

"I guess we'll have to enter the boat now?" Red asked.

"Obviously." Green answered while returning his Raticate.

Red and Green followed the crowd to the entrance. Neither noticed the five men in black clothes who boarded the ship after them.

* * *

"One beer please."

The ship's bartender looked down at the 13-year old who had just requested the beverage. He raised one eyebrow. "Kid, I think I'm going to have to see some ID."

Red shuffled through his backpack with an obviously fake innocent smile.

"_I know I have some fake ID somewhere in here_," he thought to himself.

His hand brushed against the Pokédex, and the device started playing a recorded message. Red recognized the recorded voice as Prof. Oak's.

"This Portable Pokémon Encyclopedia belongs to the Pokémon trainer Red Jackson. Home: Pallet Town. Height: 5'2. Age: 13."

The bartender laughed, and Red looked up at him with an ashamed look on his face. The bartender poured lemonade in a glass, and handed it to the young teenager.

"You're funny, kid. This one's on the house."

"Thanks." Red replied, and grabbed the glass.

While he drank it he looked over across the huge room. The cruise ship was a remarkable sight, and the room he stood in was no exception. It was a ballroom meant to host a ridiculous amount of people, and large paintings of people and Pokémon were lined up along the white walls. The high roof was made out of clear glass and steel framings, allowing everyone to look at the stars. The curtains and floor were all golden-colored, and even the bar had golden details in the ebony.

However, it was not the room that caught his attention.

Five men in coal-black suits stood in the middle of the room, all wearing a pin in their pocket.

A capitalized red R.

Red's eyes widened as he recognized them as members of Team Rocket, the organization that had sent a man to attack Bill at Mt. Moon. He put the glass back on the bar and slowly made his way toward the men. He hid behind a nearby vase, leaning forward to eavesdrop.

"Jeez, I can't believe my first assignment is kidnapping a couple of kids." one of the Rockets complained.

Another one sipped from his drink before he drunkenly replied. "They not ordinary kids. They got Pokédexes. That be a sign of trainers with great potential, right?"

Another one cut in, grabbing the other one's glass. "Jeez, man, that's your fifth drink. We're working. Anyway, who cares about the dex? It just means they've been given some stupid device by a crazy scientist."

The fourth man, who was older than the others and had a fuzzy mustache, opened his mouth. "Enough idle chat, time is wasted on words of no meaning. The information, please. We must know who we are looking for."

The fifth member, who was a tall and chubby man, grabbed a paper note from his pocket and started reading aloud. "Let's see. Oak, Green. 13 years old, height 5,4. Hair is gingerish brown and spiked up. Usually seen in a black t-shirt and purple baggy pants."

"And the other?"

"Mhm. Jackson, Red. 13 years old, height 5,2. Light brown hair, wears a red cap. Usually seen in a red vest over white t-shirt, blue jeans. Carries with him a green backpack."

Red couldn't believe it. Team Rocket was after them!

Suddenly a disturbing thought came to mind. "_Does that mean they're after Blue as well?"_

The mustached member asked about "the girl."

"Yes, sir. Blue, Madison. 13 years as well. Her height is 5'1. Auburn hair, approximately shoulder length. She wore a white hat, cyan-colored top, and a red skirt, and she had a yellow bag on her when she was taken by us."

Red's knees weakened for a moment as he realized she had been kidnapped by Team Rocket. He lost his footing slightly and hit the vase with his shoulder, causing it to fall down on the floor, shattering into several pieces.

The Rocket members, and many other guests, turned their attention toward Red's direction.

He could see the Rockets' eyes widen as they saw him, and he did the only logical thing he could think of:

Run!

He ran down the white corridors of the S.S. Anne, looking back only to see three of the rocket members chasing after him. He jumped behind a corner and ran as fast as he could toward the door leading up to the deck.

Suddenly, the chubby Rocket appeared down the corridor in front of him.

With nowhere to turn, Red stopped. He gasped for air as the three members behind him slowed down.

The three, and the fourth one standing on the other side, stopped completely, staring at him.

"What do you want from us?!" Red shouted.

The mustached member walked up to him from behind the three other, his cold eyes piercing through the boy.

"We're simply following orders, my good boy. I cannot fathom what the higher-ups would want with a child like yourself, but I honestly don't care. Now, if you don't mind," he reached for a Pokéball, "I will render you unconscious now."

Red wiped a drop of sweat from his forehead. "No thanks!"

A light flashed and the Rocket members stood bewildered, blinded and confused, barely noticing Red running past them with Pikachu on his shoulder.

The mustached one rubbed his eyes and yelled. "After him!"

Red ran through the corridors with his electric mouse, looking around for somewhere to hide.

Pikachu noticed that the lock was off on a door they were heading toward, and tugged on Red's hair and pointed to let him know.

"Thanks for the help, Chu." Red winked as he recalled the electric mouse, before he got inside the room the open door led into.

He closed the door and locked it.

"What are you doing here?" a familiar voice from inside the room asked.

Red turned around and was shocked by what he saw.

It was an office, and lying sleeping on his stomach on the desk was a chubby, middle-aged man, receiving a back-rub from Green.

Red chuckled nervously, slightly startled by the bizarre sight.

"Uh, Green... what are you doing?"

Green quickly removed his hands from the man's back.

"If you really have to know, this guy is the captain of the ship."

Red stared at the man, who was still sleeping.

"Okay... and you're giving him a sexy massage because...?"

Green got visibly upset, and marched over to Red.

"Look, Red, there is nothing sexy about this!"

Red chuckled. "Alright, Green, I believe you. Calm down."

His rival did, and sat down on a chair. "Here's the deal. I was on the deck right? So I'm walking by the captain's door, and I hear him inside, complaining about a bad back. I go in and tell him I used to fix my Gramp's back when I was really young, so maybe I could help him too."

Red didn't know what was more disturbing; The sight of Green massaging the captain, or the thought of a young Green doing the same to Professor Oak.

"Hey, Red. Don't think I did this because I'm such a nice guy. I'm not. It's just that I've heard he knows how to teach Pokémon the most efficient way to cut down trees and stuff. I figured that could come in handy."

Red put his hand on Green's shoulder, and in a very serious tone, he said: "It's okay, my friend. I won't tell anyone you like to touch old guys."

Green angrily pushed his hand away. "Shut up, Red. We're not friends."

Red's raised his left eyebrow.

Green scowled at him. "And I don't like touching old guys! Come on, man." He noticed how out of breath his rival was. "Have you been running?"

Red had almost forgotten why he had entered the office at all.

"Oh, right! Green, we have to get off this ship!"

"Why?" Green questioned

Red then told him the whole story, about Bill and Mt. Moon, and about the Rocket-members on the ship.

Green clenched his fist, and looked even more serious than usual. "They kidnapped Blue? And they want me?"

"They want me too."

"Let's focus on things that matter, Red. This is serious. We have to go and beat them, and make them tell us everything they-"

Red interrupted him. "We can't do that, they're too strong!"

Green grabbed his rival by the collar. "How do you know that? Did you even try?!"

Red stared at his rival. He realized that Green was right.

They gave each other a nod, and ran out into the corridors, slamming the door behind them.

* * *

Once they stepped onto the deck, they immediately saw the five rocket members searching around. They hid behind some barrels.

"Okay Green, let's do this." Red whispered, somehow feeling more confident with Green by his side.

"Are you stupid, Red? I mean, I know you're about as sharp as a marble, but are you really this dumb? We should use the element of surprise."

Red nodded, ignoring the insults.

They noticed one of the grunts approaching the barrels.

"Hey, Green." Red whispered

"What?"

"Good luck!"

Red lunged forward, punching the grunt in the face. The grunt fell down, and quickly tried reaching for his Pokéballs, but Red kicked his hand away. He tried to hit the grunt again, but his hand was stopped by another grunt, who proceeded to throw him away from his colleague.

The grunt who had been punched pulled out a knife, but as he tried to get up, a green energy-ball slammed into him, sending him to the other side of the deck where he blacked out.

The second grunt looked toward the source of the attack, and saw an Ivysaur with no trainer in sight. He grabbed a Pokéball and tried to throw it, but the ball stopped in mid-air. He looked to his side to see a Kadabra holding its spoon up, controlling the ball telekinetically.

Kadabra raised its hands, then brought them down in the shape of a circle, creating a white circle in front of it. It then fired the ring at the grunt, throwing him to the ground. He passed out.

Red stood up.

"Hey, Red!" Green yelled from the shadows, "maybe you should release a friggin' Pokémon?"

A third rocket appeared behind Red and tried to grab him, but the alert teenager turned and opened a Pokéball in front of the criminal.

The light materialized into Butterfree, and the butterfly slammed into the rocket grunt. He stumbled, but managed to remain on his feet.

"Butterfree, U-Turn!" Red yelled.

Butterfree flew forward in front of the grunt, then flew upwards before it did a backflip in the air and dived down toward the grunt, slamming its head into him.

The grunt fell down and hit his head, rendering him unconscious.

"Nice work Butterfree." Red told his Pokémon as it automatically returned to its ball, like the U-Turn dictated.

Red heard Green yelling for him, and ran over to him.

Green was standing face to face with the two last members, the mustached one and the big one who had their information.

"Children," the mustached one spoke mockingly, "let us do this the easy way. Allow me to kidnap you, leaving your parents distraught because their babies seemingly disappeared forever. Or we could do it the hard way, which involves plenty of stabbing, and I hear that's something most people dislike."

The big one chuckled.

Red and Green grabbed a Pokéball each.

The mustached Rocket member laughed. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Giallo, and this is my associate, Sascha."

"Sup?" Sascha muttered.

Red and Green didn't waver, and continued to look ready for battle, both more serious than ever.

"Fine then," Giallo said, somewhat disappointed, "let us battle. Sascha, are you prepared?"

"Yup."

Red and Green released Charmeleon and Ivysaur at the same time that Giallo and Sascha released Arbok and Golbat, respectively.

"Oh, great. A snake. Why'd it have to be a snake?" Red moaned.

Green clenched his teeth. "Ivysaur, use Razor Leaf!"

Ivysaur released multiple sharp leaves from the leaves on its back and aimed them at Golbat, but the bat Pokémon dodged them easily by flying up into the air.

"Golbat, Haze!" Sascha yelled.

Thick black smoke started pouring out of Golbat's mouth and enveloped what had become the battlefield, obscuring the villains from sight.

"Green, I can't see them! Can you?" Red nervously asked his rival.

"Obviously not!" Green replied with a frustrated tone in his voice.

Suddenly, Arbok appeared from within the smoke, crashing into Charmeleon. The lizard fell down, and was quickly blinded by the Arbok spitting sticky liquid in its eyes. The Arbok quickly spit in Ivysaur's eyes too, blinding the grass Pokémon as well.

The Haze started clearing, and Red and Green observed Golbat flying toward Charmeleon and Arbok slithering toward Ivysaur. Neither of the Pokémon could see them coming due to the sticky substance.

Sascha chuckled. "Golbat, Air Slice!"

"Arbok, Ice Fang!" Giallo yelled with glee.

The Golbat waved one of its wings and a white crescent shaped energy flew out and hit Charmeleon.

Arbok locked its jaws around Ivysaur's and a white mist started to seep out of its mouth as it sent a jolt of ice-cold energy into Green's Pokémon's bloodstream.

Charmeleon was knocked into the railing by the crescent energy and fainted instantly.

Ivysaur screamed in pain as it started freezing up on the inside, and fainted immediately after Arbok let go.

Green and Red returned their starters, both in shock.

"As you can see, our Pokémon are on a higher level than yours by far. Now, please, come here so I can stab you both!" Giallo shouted furiously.

Sascha gave him a small nudge. "Uhm, the boss said he wanted 'em alive."

"As if I give a damn what my brother wants!" Giallo screamed.

Sascha, looking nervous, turned his attention to the kids again.

Red and Green realized the situation was hopeless. They had a wall behind them, and two crazy criminals in front of them.

"Green, those were our strongest Pokémon." Red whispered.

"I know!" Green sneered. He took a moment to calm down, then he whispered into Red's ear. "We have to jump into the water."

"We can't. Their Pokémon will catch up to us before we've gotten to the edge." Red commented with a weak, sad voice.

"We could send out a Pokémon to distract theirs." Green suggested.

Red tilted his head. "No, we can't. If we do that, the Pokémon we send out... we won't be able to return them once we're in the water, and then they're lost forever to these guys who'll do who-knows-what to them."

Green stared at the two Rockets with intensely angry eyes.

Giallo reached his hand out. "Do I really have to force you to come over here so I can stab you?!"

Green turned his eyes to Red, who was visibly upset.

Red yelled at him. "I know what you're thinking, Green, and I don't want to do it! I'm not going to sacrifice any of my Pokémon!"

Green raised his voice. "We don't have a choice! It's our life, or one of theirs!"

"THEN I'D RATHER DIE!"

Red's voice echoed before silence fell.

"Well, that's very heroic of you," Giallo chuckled, "so I'll grant your wish. Kill them!"

Red and Green closed their eyes as the snake and the bat approached them slowly.

Just before the two Pokémon were about to attack them, one Pokéball from each of the two boys' belts started glowing, and opened unexpectedly.

Red and Green opened their eyes and saw Wigglytuff and Raticate pushing the bad guys' Pokémon away from them.

The two Pokémon looked back at their owners. Somehow, it was as though Red and Green could hear them in their heads.

"_Go_."

Red's eyes filled with tears. "Wigglytuff, stop this! Don't!"

Green grabbed him and dragged him away toward the edge of the ship.

"No Green stop! Stop! Wigglytuff!"

Wigglytuff remained silent as it did its best to hold off the huge snake to protect Red, knowing it probably wouldn't be able to travel with him ever again.

Raticate looked at Green for what it knew was probably the last time.

Green looked back at it and shed a single tear, then he closed his eyes and threw Red and himself overboard.

Red screamed as he plunged down into the cold water.

"Wigglytuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuf!"

* * *

_To be continued..._

_Feel free to leave a review or a comment if you want to, but please avoid spoilers._


	6. Five Years Ago

**The FireRed/LeafGreen/WaterBlue Chronicles**

**Chapter VI**

**Five Years Ago**

* * *

Green Oak stood on a beach on a small island.

He gazed across the clear blue ocean, smelled the salty water, tasted the wind.

The water kept reminding him of the worst moment of his life after becoming a trainer.

He tried to banish the memory from his mind, but he couldn't. He kept picturing Raticate in his mind.

It was a very sad memory, but he knew that one day, he would get over it.

Probably.

Hopefully.

"_Come on man, don't cry_." he thought to himself. "_You need to stay strong. One of us has to_."

He moved his eyes toward his fellow Pallet townsman.

Red was sitting motionless in the water that had reached his stomach.

Green had never seen Red like this before. The teen was staring blankly at nothing in particular. He looked like a shell of his former self.

Green surprised himself by feeling bad for Red. But then again, they used to be close friends. He, Red and Blue had grown up together, and they were inseparable.

Until the incident.

He remembered it as if it was yesterday.

* * *

It was five years ago. They were all eight years old.

Back then, they were just like all other kids. Running around, playing and having fun.

Red was the de facto leader of the trio, and he was as easily excitable then as he was now.

Blue was a tomboy in every sense of the word. When she moved to Pallet when they were five, Green and Red thought she was an actual boy. In fact, it wasn't until they were seven the two realized she was a girl.

Green himself was far from the serious person he was today. He loved following Red on all his crazy adventures, which mostly consisted of running into the woods and staying there all day.

But most importantly, of the three he was the only one who ever considered that their actions might have consequences..

Even now, five years later, he would wish he had thought more about the possible consequences that day.

* * *

That day, Green woke up to the familiar sound of pebbles being thrown at his window. He looked at the clock hanging on his wall.

Six A.M.

He stumbled out of his bed and opened his window drowsily. "Red, Madison, it's really early and it's Saturday." he complained.

Red and Blue were standing outside of his house, smiling innocently.

Blue threw another pebble, almost hitting Green.

"What was that for?" he grumbled.

"I've told you not to call me Madison, haven't I? I prefer my last name." she mumbled grumpily.

"Alright, sorry Blue." Green replied, before he put on some clothes and met the other two outside.

Red spun around in a circle, grinning from ear to ear. "Guys! I've decided that we will go on another adventure. One bigger than any adventure we've been on before!" He paused, making sure his friends were listening intently. "Blue, Green. We're gonna do something awesome today!"

Blue was fidgeting with some pebbles, while Green nodded along with every word Red spoke.

"Blue, Green. Today, we're gonna get Pokémon!"

Green and Blue cheered while Red basked in the applause, feeling like a champion.

"Wait," Green interrupted the joyous celebration, "where exactly were you thinking we were going to get Pokémon from?"

Red smiled cunningly. "We're gonna take them from your grandpa's lab!"

Green noticed he started to worry. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

Red put his hand on his friend's shoulder. He leaned in and, in an unusually serious manner, asked "Are you scared?"

"Oooooooh!" Blue called out, as if Red had just handed out the worst accusation imaginable. And to an eight-year old, he pretty much had.

Green stared into Red's eyes. "No, I'm not." He gave Red a high-five. "Let's do this!"

* * *

After running to the professor's laboratory, the three young children peeked through a window to look inside.

It was dark.

"Perfect!" Red shouted. "The old man can't have gotten here yet!"

Green shushed him. "Maybe you should be a little louder? I'm not sure if the people in Johto heard that we were planning on sneaking in." he whispered sarcastically.

Blue laughed. "Come on boys, let's go get Pokémon."

She put her hand in her pocket and pulled out a screwdriver.

Red stared at the tool. "Great idea, Blue! You're gonna stab the wall until it breaks down!"

Green facepalmed, while Blue laughed. "Red, I'll say this now, and only because I don't know if anybody else will ever have the guts to tell you. Sometimes, you're kinda dumb." she said.

Red pouted and sent her an offended look, but by the time she had screwed off the screws in the door hinges he had already forgotten about it.

Blue turned to the boys. "Ready?" She turned to the door again and and kicked it down.

Red gasped. "That. Was. Awesome!"

Blue grinned. "I know it was."

Green was filled with excitement as they made their way in. He had been inside the lab several times, but never with the lights off. Never without his grandfather.

The glowing computer screens and the blinking lights on a few gadgets looked very different when there was no other source of light.

"There they are!" Red exclaimed, pointing in front of him.

"Red, please stop shouting!" Green yelled back.

In that one moment, Blue noticed that she couldn't care less whether they were caught or not. "Who cares, Green? Look. Red's right. They're right there!"

Green's eyes followed Red and Blue's extended fingers toward a table in the back of the room.

Three Pokéballs were lying on the table, each protected inside a glass cube.

"Three. One for each. Awesome." Red mumbled as they made their way to the table.

"Guys," Blue picked up a paper from the table, presumably left by the professor, "it says here that the Pokéballs contain one grass type, one fire type and one water type." She turned to the other two. "Who should get what?"

Red had his mind made up. "I don't know about you two, but I want the grass type!"

Green looked over at Blue. "Blue?"

"I think... I want the fire one!" she declared.

Green looked at the Pokéballs. "I guess that means I get the water one?"

Red looked at him. "You sound disappointed."

"I just figured it would make sense for me to get grass, you to get fire, and Blue to get water."

"Why?" Blue asked.

"It's just a thought I got a second ago. It can't be a coincidence that our names fit so well with these types. Fire is red, water is blue, and the leaves outside are green. So we could be FireRed, WaterBlue, and LeafGreen. Figured it could be like, destiny or something."

Blue and Red stared at him, before they bursted out laughing.

"That is the stupidest thing you've ever said!" Red said while giggling uncontrollably.

Blue couldn't stop giggling either. "Yeah, and you once told us that you're named Green Oak because your parents love wordplays."

Green felt dumb for having mentioned it, but stopped caring about it quickly.

"Let's go play with them!" he suggested with a crooked smile.

* * *

Within minutes, the three children were inside the forest, deeper than they had ever gone. It was Red's suggestion that they needed to be far away from the town when they released the Pokémon for the first time, just in case someone might catch them.

They were running through the woods, and neither could stop laughing.

Green loved every moment.

Suddenly, Blue and Red stopped. So did Green.

"What's going on?" he asked.

Red giggled. "This is it. This is where we'll release them!"

Green looked around.

They were standing in the middle of the forest, in a spot where there were no trees. The trees surrounding the spot were very tall. The sun was up, and it bathed the spot in light, darkening the forest around. It was surreal, like something out of a fairytale.

They didn't even notice the river raging next to the seemingly idyllic spot.

Blue grabbed her Pokéball.

"You two ready?" she asked.

Red took out his; Green did the same.

"Ms. Blue, Mr. Oak" Red said, "are you ready for the most awesomest moment of your lives?"

Green smiled nervously.

Blue grinned widely. "Sure thing, Mr. Jackson!"

Red lifted his Pokéball into the air triumphantly. "Then let's do-Ouch!"

Red and the other two looked down, where they saw a Weedle; It had stung Red's leg.

Red kicked it away from him. "Ouch... stupid bug."

Blue grabbed his shirt, and yelled "You shouldn't do that to a Pokémon!"

"It's just a bug!" he said to defend himself.

"It doesn't matter. We should treat all Pokémon with respect!" she replied as she crossed her arms.

Green stared at Red's ankle. "Red, you're swelling up."

Red looked down. "Green, this swelling isn't even bigger than my thumb. Who cares? Now let's do this!"

Red was just about to try to throw the Pokéball again when they heard buzzing behind him. Their eyes widened as they saw a Beedrill that seemed very angry.

The three started stepping slowly away.

"Guys," Blue whispered. "I think we really need to release these Pokémon now."

They threw their Pokéballs, and released a Bulbasaur, a Charmander and a Squirtle.

The Pokémon looked at the eight-year olds, seemingly confused by their young age.

"Bulbasaur!" Red yelled. "Please do something!"

"Charmander!" Blue shouted. "Burn it!"

"Squirtle..." Green started, too nervous to finish the sentence.

The three Pokémon leaped toward the Beedrill.

The wild Beedrill dodged and put its arms in front of it and its stingers started to glow white. It released multiple white needles stingers, all hitting Bulbasaur. It then set its sights on Charmander. Its stingers glowed purple and it jabbed the lizard with it. After that, it repeatedly stabbed Squirtle with its arm stinger.

Green, Red, and Blue were shocked and terrified as they saw the three Pokémon fainting instantly after being attacked. They returned them to their Pokéballs, and started walking backwards away from the bee Pokémon.

"That thing is strong!" Red warned the other two.

"Really?! You think so?!" Blue yelled back sarcastically.

Green interrupted them. "Guys, this isn't the time fo-"

Suddenly, the ground disappeared beneath their feet. They had stepped over the edge and were falling into the river!

The last thing Green remembered seeing before they hit the water was the three Pokéballs falling into the water first, and then being swept away by the stream.

Then everything became pitch-black.

* * *

When Green opened his eyes again, he was lying in a bed. He looked to his sides, and saw one bed on each side of him. Red was lying in one of them, Blue in the other.

His friends woke up.

The three noticed they were in a hospital room.

After that they noticed Red's mother, Green's parents and Blue's parents standing in front of their beds.

"Oh, thank heavens. They're awake." Blue's mother sighed in relief.

"You were lucky." Blue's father remarked.

"Yes, you were." Green's father said. Green's mother added; "If you hadn't been spotted by those fishermen who saved you, you could have drowned."

"And you, Red," Red's mother sniffed, drying her tears, "it's a good thing the doctor's got the Weedle-poison out of you in time, or you could have damaged it for life."

Red rubbed his leg.

Green noticed his grandfather standing in the corner.

The professor seemed relieved, but then his expression changed. He looked angry. He walked over to their beds.

"Do you kids have any idea what you've done?"

Green's mother tried to calm him. "Dad..."

"No!" he yelled. "You should all leave the room. I need to talk to these fools alone."

The parents did as requested, and walked out of the room.

Oak turned to the kids again. "I am so angry and disappointed with you! Not only did you steal the Pokémon I was going to give out next week, but you lost them as well! I rarely give out starters and here I am, deciding I'll do it this year for that trio from Pewter City, and you three break in and take them! Who knows what will happen with those poor Pokémon."

His voice was extremely serious, and the three children were starting to feel really bad.

"Hopefully, some good-natured people have found them and is taking care of them as we speak. But to be perfectly honest, for all we know they might very well be dead now!"

Blue started crying.

Red tried to say something, but he choked.

Green stared down at his lap.

"Now I have to ask you... who's idea was this?"

Red knew he would be in a lot of trouble once the professor found out it was him. Green and Blue knew that as well. Oak had always said that Red would one day do something unforgivable, and had yelled at Red's mother on several occasions due to his shenanigans.

The last thing Red wanted was to get his mother in trouble.

Oak repeated the question. "Who's idea was this?"

Red swallowed, and, on the brink of tears, he started opening his mouth.

But then he choked again. He wasn't able to get a single word out.

That's when all three knew he wouldn't be able to admit it. He didn't dare.

Finally the silence broke.

"I did it!" Green mumbled.

Oak couldn't have been more shocked.

Green knew Red would get in a lot of trouble, and maybe he, who'd never done anything bad, wouldn't be punished that much. And if no one came forward, Oak would probably punish them all, and he didn't want Blue to have to go through that.

So for Red and Blue's sake, he took the blame.

Oak stared in disbelief at his grandson. "Wh-What did you say?"

Green repeated the three words. The three words which he in the present knew were the words he would regret more than anything else. "I did it"

Green looked up at the professor, and noticed his grandfather's eyes change. As if the old man saw something else when he looked at Green than before.

Oak turned away from them, and walked out the door.

* * *

Back at the beach, in the present, Green kicked the sand.

"_I should have never taken the blame. All because Red was such a coward_." he thought, scowling into the ground.

Ever since that day, Oak's behavior around him changed. They used to have a good relationship, seeing each other practically every day, but after Green took the blame Oak refused to speak to him if he didn't have to. He never even smiled at him.

Nothing. As if he wasn't his grandson anymore, but some acquaintance he was forced to see from time to time.

So eventually Green didn't bother with being polite toward him either, since he never got anything, not even a smile, back for it.

Green remembered how he felt the next day. When he looked out his window and saw Red and Blue playing without a care in the world.

As if nothing had happened. As if they hadn't lost and possibly killed three Pokémon. As if he hadn't basically lost his grandfather.

They didn't seem to care at all.

That was the day he stopped talking to them. The day he stopped being their friend.

"_I need to go talk to him._" he though, walking over to where Red was sitting.

"Red."

Red flinched, and peeked up at Green. "Hi, Green" he said weakly.

Green sat down next to him in the water. "You know, Red. This whole thing with Raticate and Wigglytuff... it really sucks."

Red snorted. "That's an understatement."

Green nodded.

They sat for several minutes without either one saying anything.

Green broke the silence. "Blue needs our help. And Team Rocket needs to be stopped."

Red nodded. "What are you saying exactly?"

Green got up and reached his hand out. "I'm proposing we take them down. Together."

Red took his hand and stood up as well. "Do you really think we can do that?" he asked.

Green smirked. "It'll be a piece of cake, Red. Piece of cake."

* * *

_To be continued..._

_Feel free to leave a review or a comment if you want to, but please avoid spoilers._


	7. Vermillion Gym

**The FireRed/LeafGreen/WaterBlue Chronicles**

**Chapter VII**

**Vermillion Gym**

* * *

It was early in the morning.

Red sat on the edge of Vermillion Harbor, feeling bored. He glanced over at Green, who was fishing.

Back at the island, Green had sent out his Pidgeotto for help, and they had been rescued by a family that had been out sailing.

After they were dropped off in Vermillion, the first thing Green did was buy a fishing rod and start fishing.

Green noticed Red's stare.

"What's wrong, Red?" he asked casually.

Red stared out at the ocean. "Why are we sitting here? Why are we fishing?"

Green reeled the line back, and threw it out again.

"First off, we are not fishing, I am. Second, with a grass/poison-type, a normal/flying-type and a psychic-type, I need a good water-type."

"But why are we sitting here instead of going after Team Rocket and saving Blue?" Red interrupted.

Green seemed slightly annoyed. "If you would've let me finish, I was going to say: Third, we have absolutely no idea where Team Rocket is. We have no leads at all. If we don't have anything to go on, we'll just be wandering around aimlessly. We can't just put our journey on hold."

Green could see that Red wasn't satisfied with his reply. "Look, Red, we're all going to compete in the league, not just you and me, but Blue as well. We have to keep going for the badges and all that, and that means that I need to boost my team."

Red nodded slowly. "I get what you're saying, Green. And I guess I agree with you. But I'm... I'm so worried about Blue."

"I know, I am too. But remember, that one guy said that their boss wants us alive. I don't know what they want us for, but I think we can safely say that whatever it is, they won't kill her for it."

Red sighed. "That doesn't mean they can't hurt her. I don't want to lose another friend to those bastards."

Their conversation was cut short when the line on Green's fishing rod began to jerk. "Yes! I've got something!"

He yanked a Magikarp out of the water.

Red chuckled. "That's too bad. What a weak Pokémon."

Green grabbed a Pokéball and knocked it against the Magikarp, causing it to enter the ball. The ball wiggled in his hand for a few seconds, then it stopped. Green smiled.

Red was confused. "Why would you want that thing?"

Green sent him a dumb look. "You do realize this will become a Gyarados, right? This is a part of what it means to be a trainer. To realize a Pokémon's potential."

"But didn't you tell me to let go of weak Pokémon?" Red asked.

Green sent him another dumb look. "There's a difference between one particular Pokémon being weak and the potential of a species. Your Mankey is a weak individual, while all Magikarps can become Gyarados. Got it?"

Green's bluntness offended Red. "Stop insulting my Mankey!" he yelled before walking away from Green.

"Where are you going?"

Red replied without stopping. "I'm going to train, and then I'm going to the gym, and I'll show you what my Pokémon can do!"

Green shrugged and started packing down his fishing rod.

* * *

The sun was high in the sky when Green arrived at the Vermillion Gym a few hours after Red had left the harbor.

"I hope you're ready." he remarked to the Pokéballs in his belt.

He was just about to enter the gym when he heard a familiar voice behind him.

"Hey, Green, wait up!" Red shouted while running toward him.

Green smirked. "Where have you been?"

Red grinned. "Training, like I said."

Green smirked again. "Are you ready for this?"

Red looked determined. "Piece of-"

"Okay, Red, seriously, I'm just gonna stop you right there. That's getting old. Get a new catchphrase. Please."

Red pouted. "But I like it."

Suddenly, the doors opened.

A short man in a kilt stepped out, welcoming them. "Ye tois haur tae tak' oan th' gym leadah?"

Red and Green stared wide-eyed down at the short man.

There was a long pause until Red finally broke the silence. "What the hell did you say? What was that language?"

Green leaned in to Red's ear. "Red, I think he's got a very thick accent. He's probably from abroad, but that's the same language we're speaking."

"Seriously?"

Green leaned away again. "Uhm, we're here to challenge the gym leader."

The short man seemed unimpressed. "That's whit Ah speart ye idiots. Sae, hoo mony Pokémon an' hoo mony badges?"

Green barely understood. "Uh... I've got four Pokémon and two badges."

Red only understood because he heard what Green said. "I've got six Pokémon and two badges."

Green noticed Red's number of Pokémon. "Six? Did you catch a new Pokémon while you were training?"

Red grinned.

The short guy turned around and started moving. "Follaw me."

They walked inside. The arena consisted of a large, standard battlefield with a tall steel pole in each corner.

Suddenly, the short man started shouting. "Lieutenant Surge, Ah've got some challengers haur fur ye!"

A voice bellowed. "Thanks Seamus, ya can go chill out now."

The source of the voice walked out of the shadows into the arena. It was an army-clad, muscular, spiky-haired blond man in his forties.

"Ah'm Lt. Surge. Which one of y'all 're gonna try to beat me first?"

Red stepped forward. "I am!"

* * *

Lt. Surge laid down the rules. "Okay, kiddo. Listen up." His voice was deep, and he sounded like a general commanding his troops. "The battle will be fought as best out of three matches. So as long as ya defeat at least two of mah Pokémon, ya get a badge."

Red grinned. "At least two? I'm gonna beat all three!"

Surge smirked.

Green found himself a seat in the stands, looking forward to see Lt. Surge's battle style.

Red grabbed a Pokéball. "We send out our Pokémon at the same time, right?"

Lt. Surge grabbed a Pokéball as well. "That's right, kiddo."

Seamus walked over to the sidelines, and the two trainers got ready for the start signal. The small man pressed a switch on the wall, and the steel poles in the corners were connected by electric grids, keeping anyone from leaving or entering the arena during the match. He shouted out; "Ready! Sit! GANG!"

Surge and Red threw their Pokéballs into the arena. The balls flashed as they hit the ground and released the Pokémon inside.

Surge had released a Voltorb, and Red had released Mankey.

Green was surprised. "_Mankey? Well, I guess Surge will win this round._"

Red spoke to his Pokémon. "Okay, Mankey. I'm giving you one last chance to show me, to show everyone, that you can do this! Are you up for that?"

Mankey nodded with determination.

Red nodded back, and the two set their focus on Voltorb and Surge.

Surge decided to start the match. "Voltorb, Rollout!"

The ball Pokémon rolled toward Mankey incredibly fast, undoubtedly due to its round shape. Mankey barely had time to react, but it managed to jump over the ball just before impact.

"Voltorb, Spark!"

The ball Pokémon released a small blast of blue electricity at Mankey, shocking it. The pig monkey winced in pain.

"Mankey, Cross Chop!" Red shouted.

"Voltorb, Rollout again!" Surge countered

Mankey made an X-shape with its arms. Voltorb rolled back against it. Mankey chopped its arms outwards just as Voltorb was about to hit it, and Voltorb was thrown backwards by the hit. Voltorb seemed stunned, and Red decided to finish it.

"Mankey, Fury Swipes!"

Mankey ran toward the ball, claws ready, when Voltorb suddenly opened its eyes.

Red realized what had happened. "_They were bluffing!_".

Surge chuckled. "Sonicboom!"

Voltorb glowed white and spun around, releasing a large white shockwave that hit the charging Mankey directly. Mankey was launched across the arena, fainting before it hit the ground.

Red returned it. "_Dammit, Mankey..._" he thought.

Green shrugged. "_I knew it_."

Lt. Surge returned Voltorb while Seamus judged the result. "Voltorb wins! One-nothin' tae Surge!"

Surge chuckled. "And ya were gonna win all three, huh? Kiddo, ya need to up yer game if ya want to survive in combat. Ah was in the war! Ah've fought alongside mah Pokémon in life-or-death-situations. So like Ah said; Up yer game!"

Red picked a new Pokéball from his belt, determined to do what Surge had suggested.

"Ready! Sit! GANG!"

Green couldn't help but snicker when he observed that both trainers released a Pikachu.

Red was nervous, but managed to hide it. "Are you ready, Pikachu?" he asked, faking confidence.

Pikachu gave him a thumbs up.

Surge smiled. "This'll be interestin'. Pikachu, Slam!"

Surge's Pikachu moved toward Red's Pikachu quickly.

"Pikachu, like we practiced! Double team!" Red shouted.

It looked as though Pikachu vibrated momentarily, before it glowed white briefly and seemingly became two Pikachus instead of one.

Green was impressed. "_Good move_."

Surge's Pikachu stopped in its tracks, unsure of which Pikachu to go for.

"The one on the right!" Surge suggested.

The right Red's Pikachu flickered and disappeared as Surge's Pikachu punched and went through it. The left Red's Pikachu smiled slyly, and lunged at Surge's Pikachu, smashing it to the ground with a Quick Attack.

Red pumped his fist into the air. "Yes!"

Surge's smile was wiped from his face. "Time to get serious. Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"

Surge's Pikachu let loose a strong, electric blast against Red's Pikachu.

"Light Screen!" Red ordered.

His Pikachu let out a few sparks from its cheeks that formed a square wall of light. The thunderbolt got through the screen and hit Pikachu, but it was left practically unaffected.

"Mah Pikachu's Thunderbolt is pretty damn strong. Nice work weakenin' it with that Light Screen." Surge complimented Red.

Red didn't notice. He was fully focused on the battle. "That doesn't mean it's over yet. Pikachu, Electro Ball!"

His Pikachu charged up a yellow ball of electricity at the base of its tail.

"Let's give you a taste of your own medicine, Red. Pikachu, Double Team!" Surge yelled.

Surge's Pikachu seemingly split into two, and Red's Pikachu hurled the ball of electricity at the right one like Red commanded. It flickered and disappeared, and the electric ball hit the floor, leaving behind a black spot.

"Ya guessed wrong, kiddo." Surge laughed, but he stopped quickly when he noticed Red's Pikachu running toward his own, sparks flying from its body.

Red's Pikachu crashed into Surge's, and sparks flew everywhere at impact.

Surge stared at his Pikachu, which was lying fainted on the ground. "He used Wild Charge to make sure he got me even if the Electro Ball missed its target." He looked up at Red. "Maybe he's good for somethin' after all."

"Great job, Pikachu!" Red gave his Pokémon a high five before he returned it to its Pokéball.

Seamus announced the result. "Red's Pikachu won! 'At means th' tois gutties ur tied! Th' lest match will be decide fa wins th' battle!"

Red didn't even pretend to understand what Seamus had said, but he knew what it meant. This last match decided everything. He grabbed his last Pokéball.

Green looked forward to the last round. "_Okay, Red, let's see what you do next_."

"Ready! Sit! GANG!"

Red and Surge threw their Pokéballs into the arena to release their final Pokémon.

Surge's Pokéball opened and a Raichu appeared out of it.

Red's Pokéball opened itself to reveal... a Diglett!

Green smiled approvingly. "_So that's what you caught, eh Red? A ground-type... that's clever_."

Red tightened his fist. "I've got this! I found the perfect Pokémon to use against Surge."

Surge snickered. "He's got some brains after all? Interestin'." His face turned serious. "Raichu, Quick Attack!"

Raichu rushed toward Diglett like his master ordered.

Red started opening his mouth to give Diglett a command, but then he stopped. His eyes widened as he realized he had no idea what moves Diglett knew! "Uh, Diglett! Down in the ground!"

Just as Raichu was about to hit Diglett, it disappeared into the ground, leaving only a hole. Raichu looked bewildered around.

"Raichu, be careful! It's gonna use Dig!" Surge warned his Pokémon.

Red heard the lieutenant, and banged his fist against his forehead. "_Dig! How could I forget Dig_?" Red grinned. "Diglett, Dig now!"

Suddenly, Diglett appeared from under Raichu, hitting it from below and sending it flying into the air.

Red observed Surge's Raichu starting to fall against the ground.

Diglett was staring at the electric mouse as well.

Red's thoughts were racing. "_Oh man, I should get it while it's helpless, but what to do? What to_-"

He suddenly got an idea. "Diglett, Headbutt!"

Diglett hit its head hard against the falling Raichu, and sent it flying into the air once again.

"Diglett, one more time!"

Diglett did as told, sending Raichu into the air for the third time.

Surge couldn't believe what he was seeing. His main Pokémon was completely helpless, and as Red ordered one last Headbutt, he witnessed his Raichu flying toward him, landing at his feet.

Raichu struggled, but managed to get up. The Headbutt-combo had clearly taken its toll.

Surge kneeled down toward his Pokémon, and petted its head. "Are ya up for more?"

Raichu nodded.

"Then get it! Flash!"

Raichu lit up, briefly releasing a bright light. When the light faded, everyone in the room could see that Diglett was completely blinded.

"_Good move, Surge_." Green thought. "_Diglett's eyes are used to the darkness underground. It's completely blinded now._"

"Raichu, take it down with a Brick Break!" Surge commanded.

Red watched as Raichu, its handed covered with yellow sparks, moved toward Diglett. He knew he had to think fast. "_Come on, Red, think! Raichu is barely conscious, that's why it needed to blind Diglett. It can't afford to be hit by another attack. I need to get Diglett to use something that can hit Raichu even if Diglett can't see it._" His eyes widened. "_I got it!_"

Raichu was closing in on Diglett.

"Diglett!" Red yelled. "Now! Magnitude!"

Diglett became outlined in a brown aura, and it started moving rapidly up and down into its hole.

Raichu could feel the ground starting to shake. Cracks started developing in the ground, and rocks flew everywhere. The steel poles fell, and the electric grid disappeared. Dust distorted the field for the trainers, and everyone in the room were unable to stand, and fell down. Even Green, who was sitting, fell off his seat.

When the earthquake settled, Surge and Red could see Diglett resting calmly in its hole, and Raichu lying on the ground in a crack, fainted.

Green got back in his seat. "_That must've been a Magnitude 10. Highest on the scale. He got lucky._"

Surge returned his Pokémon to its Pokéball and walked over to Red. "Now that's what Ah call a shocker! Yer the real deal, kiddo. Ya deserve this."

He gave Red the thunderbadge, an eight-pointed gold star with an orange octagon glimmering in its center.

Red grinned. "Thank you!"

Green clapped three times to be polite. "_He won_._ That's good. That means I won't have any problems with this gym._"

Surge cracked up. "Ah gotta tell ya, kiddo, when ya first came in here Ah thought that your brain-battery wasn't exactly fully charged, but now Ah see... yer gonna go far. What did ya say yer name was?"

"Red, sir. Red Jackson."

Surge seemed to recognize the name, and smiled. "Why am Ah not surprised." He then walked out of the room, grinning.

Seamus showed Red out, and congratulated him. "Congratulations, Red. Ye did guid. Hae a braw day. Cheerio th' noo."

After he had shut the door, Red muttered to himself, "I still can't understand what that guy says."

* * *

He had been waiting for Green for five minutes before he realized why his rival was taking so long.

"Wait a sec! He's in there fighting Surge right now!"

He tried to rip open the door, but it had been locked.

"Oh come on!"

He knocked on the door furiously.

"Seamus! You friggin' dwarf! Open up!"

The door swung open. Red took a step back, and saw Green exiting.

"Did you finish the battle already?" Red asked.

Green showed him the badge, and noticed that Red seemed disappointed. "What's with you? Did you want to see the battle or something?" he asked.

Red started gesturing wildly. "Of course I did! I wanted to see what else you've got on your team beside Ivysaur, Kadabra and Pidgeotto."

"Magikarp." Green answered quickly.

Red grimaced. "Besides that."

"Nothing." Green replied.

Red gave his rival a puzzled look. "Why haven't you caught more Pokémon?"

Green smirked. "Don't misunderstand, Red. The reason I don't carry a full team is not because I haven't caught enough. Look at this."

He grabbed his Pokédex and opened it. He pressed a button, and the Dex played a message.

"Green Oak has owned and registered: 28 Pokémon."

Red stared at his rival in disbelief. He grabbed his own Dex and pressed the same button.

"Red Jackson has owned and registered: 11 Pokémon."

Red put it back in his pocket. "So, why don't you have a full team when you have so many Pokémon?"

"They didn't fit in my team or they weren't strong enough. I don't needlessly fill up my team with Pokémon that aren't useful to me, like your Mankey."

Red said nothing.

Green noticed his silence. "Hey, this is the first time I say something bad about your Mankey without you getting upset. Are you finally ready to admit I'm right about it?"

Red spoke slowly, as if he wasn't sure about the words he was speaking. "Yes. Mankey's too weak, but what can I do? I don't want to just release it, that feels wrong."

Green chuckled. "So box it. That's what people do with their spare Pokémon."

"What's boxing?" Red had barely finished the sentence before Green slapped him.

"What the hell was that for?" he shouted confusedly.

Green seemed very annoyed. "You're a trainer who's somehow managed to win three badges, and you still don't know about boxes?" He sighed. "Okay, here's a quick rundown. You go to a PokéCenter, you go to one of those huge white computer-like machines they have there, you type in your trainerID, and a so-called box pops up. You put the Pokéball with the Pokémon you want to box into the machine, and it will be teleported to one of the many Pokémon-CareCenters in the world. All the Pokémon you box will be sent to the same place so that they can hang out together."

"How did I not know about this?"Red was baffled. "What happens if I want to take a Pokémon back?"

"You log in, and send a request to the CareCenter. They'll send your Pokémon back pretty much instantly."

Red grabbed Mankey's Pokéball. "So it will be happy wherever it ends up?"

Green smiled. "Definitely."

* * *

Half an hour later, the two rivals were standing inside of Vermillion's PokéCenter.

In front of them was the machine Green had described.

Red hesitated for a moment before he logged in.

"Let's see, trainerID... 8432570, password..."

"I'm guessing your password is RedIsTheBest or something stupid like that." Green jabbed.

Red chuckled nervously. "Of course it's not..."

He typed in RedRules, and Green rolled his eyes.

A question appeared on the screen. "Deposit or Withdrawal?" Red pressed deposit, and another message popped up on the screen; "Place Pokéball into the machine to confirm deposit."

Red glanced at Green, who nodded back. He put Mankey's Pokéball into an empty slot, and the machine started making a growling noise. The Pokéball was immersed in a bright light, and slowly started to fade before it was completely gone.

Red turned to Green. "That felt so weird."

Green put his hand on Red's shoulder. "It's just another part of being a trainer. Don't worry, it stops being weird once you've done it seven or eighteen times."

Red removed Green's hand. "Sorry, Green, but I don't know if I'll ever be able to stop caring about each and everyone of them. Even if Mankey was too weak to be on my team, it's still my Pokémon. So don't think that what I just did was easy for me. Because guess what? It wasn't."

Green said nothing as Red walked out of the Center.

* * *

A while later, Red was sitting on a bench drinking a canned soda, watching the sunset with Charmeleon.

"So, Charmeleon. Do you think I did the right thing?"

Charmeleon nodded.

"I'm sorry by the way." he continued, "I know you and Mankey were friends. It's probably weird for you, knowing you won't see it for a while."

Charmeleon nodded again slowly, then gave a claws up, showing that it'd be okay.

Red patted it on the head.

* * *

Meanwhile, back in Pallet Town, Red's mother received a phone call.

She recognized the voice immediately. "Lt. Surge?"

"Ya know ya don't have to call me lieutenant, Belle. Been a while since Ah've had to do any army-related business."

Belle Jackson stared at a photo on her wall. "It sure has been a while since the war, huh?"

Surge chuckled. "Heh, sure has."

Belle paused for a moment. "What's this about?"

"Do Ah need a reason to call?"

Belle raised her eyebrow. "Surge, the last time you called me was to tell me the war was over."

Surge paused. "Yeah... Belle, I was defeated by a kid named Red Jackson today. Ah gotta say, Ah like that you named him after Stephen's ol' nickname."

Belle noticed a tear falling down her cheek. "It's great that he won, but why call me?"

"Belle, when Ah battled Red, Ah saw something in him I've only seen once before. Ah fought with Stephen in the war. Best damn soldier Ah've ever seen. Ah mean it, he was a very brave man."

Belle was quiet. Her husband had died in the war. "My Stephen... you know, we were starting a family. And then he got the call. I remember exactly what he told me. We were at war with the Unova region, and he had to fight. Then, two months before Red was born-"

"Ah remember, Belle. Worst phone call Ah've ever had to make."

Belle had started crying at this point. "So, Red's doing fine?"

She could hear by Surge's voice that he was smiling. "Red's gonna be great, Belle. Ya should be proud of 'im."

Belle grinned. "I am. Thank you, Bob."

Surge laughed. "Hey, I said ya didn't have to call me lieutenant. Didn't say ya could call me by my first name."

Belle laughed as well, and the two said their goodbyes before she hung up.

She stared at the photo on the wall again.

"It's a shame you never got to know your son, honey. He's a wonderful boy. And he's going to be a great man one day. Just like you."

She touched her husband's photo longingly, before she strolled back into her living room.

* * *

_To be continued..._

_Feel free to leave a review or a comment if you want to, but please avoid spoilers._


	8. Fight for the Rainbow Badge

**The FireRed/LeafGreen/WaterBlue Chronicles**

**Chapter VIII**

**Fighting For the Rainbow Badge**

* * *

A few days after their victories in Vermillion, Red and Green had gotten through the Rock Tunnel on their way to Saffron City.

One morning, Green awoke to the sight of Red drooling. The sun was high in the sky. He sat up and rubbed his eyes. "Jeez, how long did we sleep?"

He checked his watch; it said 13:00. "Red, wake up, we have to keep moving if we want to get to Saffron before the sun sets."

Red woke up, and stared at the campfire. "Green, why is that still burning?"

Green turned to the flames, and the two trainers realized a Pokémon was snuggled up inside the fire, sleeping.

Green realized it was a Growlithe.

He started moving his hand toward an empty Pokéball, slowly. "_I could use a good fire-type. That would do the trick."_ He grabbed the ball and prepared to throw it.

Suddenly, another Pokéball flew past him and hit the fire-type. It turned the puppy into light and absorbed it, extinguishing the fire.

Green turned around furiously. "What the hell was that, Red? That was mine!"

Red stuck his tongue out. "I saw it first."

"But I decided to catch it first!"

"So why didn't you?"

The two rivals stared each other down intensely until they heard a bark. They looked to their side, and saw the Growlithe sitting next to the Pokéball.

The capture had failed.

Growlithe gave them a condescending look before it ran away.

Green and Red ran after it, and realized quickly that the Pokémon was faster than them. They released Butterfree and Pidgeotto to go after it.

Pidgeotto flew in front of Growlithe, stopping it from running further. Butterfree released a orange cloud of spores, stunning both Growlithe and Pidgeotto. The bird fell down on the ground, unable to move. The Growlithe was completely paralyzed as well.

Once the two trainers caught up with the Pokémon, Green rolled his eyes. "Seriously, Red? Your Butterfree took down both the Growlithe and my Pidgeotto."

Red laughed. "Heh, sorry. But I'm guessing this means I won?"

Green lowered his head. "I guess it does." he mumbled.

Red grabbed a new Pokéball and threw it at the paralyzed puppy. It was absorbed again, and this time, it didn't come out.

"Congratulations," Green sarcastically said, "your team is full again."

Red scratched the back of his head. "Actually... it's not. I don't have Diglett anymore."

Green was surprised. "What? Didn't you just catch it?"

"Yeah, but I didn't actually catch it. Before we got to Surge's gym, I met this old guy. He was building a house, and I helped him. In return, he borrowed Diglett to me for the gym-battle. After I boxed Mankey I went back to him and gave him his Pokémon back."

Green chuckled. "That's too bad. Red. It seemed like it was one of your strongest Pokémon." He noticed and pointed to a sign. "Hey, look."

Red read it. "Gatehouse to Saffron City!"

The two teenagers grinned, and prepared to head inside.

Green tried opening the door, but it was locked. "What the?" Green kept yanking the handle, but the door didn't budge.

"It's closed?" Red asked.

Green sighed. "So it seems."

Red got restless. "What now? I don't want to sit here waiting for the doors to be opened."

Green pulled out his map and checked it again before he put it back in his backpack. "We can postpone Saffron. If we take the underground, we'll get to Celadon City in half an hour."

"But I want another badge," Red complained.

Green smirked. "Don't worry, Red. There's a gym in Celadon too."

"Really?" Red's eyes were practically sparkling after hearing that. "Then let's go!"

* * *

Half an hour later, they walked out and into Celadon City.

Red and Green's mouths dropped.

Coming from a small place like Pallet Town, they were impressed by the sight of the large city. The buildings were painted in a wide variety of colors.

"Red, I'm going to go check out Celadon College. Gramps studied there, and he would always talk about it back when I was young." Green mentioned.

Red grinned. "Alright. You know where I'll be."

* * *

Not long after, Red stood in front of the Celadon Gym. He released his Pokémon. Charmeleon, Butterfree, Pikachu, Oddish and Growlithe were staring gently at him.

"Okay guys, this one shouldn't be too hard. I heard from some locals that this is a grass-type gym. Charmeleon, Growlithe, you two are definitely gonna get to fight. Not sure who I'm gonna use of the rest of you, but you should all be ready. Can you do that for me?"

The team cheered with excitement, and Red returned them all before he opened the entrance door.

A woman in her early twenties and wearing a kimono greeted him. "Hello, I'm Cheryl. Badges and Pokémon?"

Red felt relieved since this assistant didn't have the accent that Surge's had.

"I've got three badges and five Pokémon!" he proudly proclaimed.

Cheryl gestured for him to follow, and so he did.

Red was amazed by the sheer beauty of the gym. It was like a huge garden; there were colorful plants everywhere, and the huge windows caused the sunlight to shine through and into the gym. In fact, Red noticed that there seemed to be no artificial lights anywhere; the sun lit up the whole building.

He couldn't help but be impressed.

"Excuse me? Hi." A gentle, feminine voice had spoken to him from behind.

He turned around and saw a beautiful young woman wearing a yellow kimono with a red flower pattern. Her black hair fell down to her shoulders, contrasting with her pale skin.

"Hi, I'm Erika. The gym leader. It's very nice to meet you. Did you see a creepy old man outside? I hope he's gone. Lovely weather, isn't it? Do you like flower arranging? I love flower arranging."

Red shook her hand, a bit surprised.

"_She's the gym leader?_" he though, "_she doesn't seem as confident as the other three. And she rambles on a lot more._"

He finished his thoughts and looked at her face, and noticed that she had fallen asleep! He pulled his hand to him, and she jolted as she woke up.

"Oh my!" she gasped, "I fell asleep again, didn't I? I'm terribly sorry, I'm narcoleptic." She paused and stared at Red with a confused look on her face. "And you are?"

Red was dumbfounded. "Uh, I'm here for the badge..."

"Oh! A challenger? In that case, let's move on to the arena!" She walked them over to a battlefield surrounded with bushes.

"_This leader is weird._" he thought.

Cheryl walked past him, but stopped to tell him something. "She's not really narcoleptic. She's just inhaled all the powders from her Pokémon a bit too many times if you know what I mean."

Red took his position, still thinking about this gym leader. "_So she's a quiet, flower-decorating, maybe narcoleptic/maybe kind of drug-addicted, forgetful, rambling gym leader? That's... interesting I guess_."

"Alright, Red!" she shouted from across the field, somehow still sounding meek even when raising her voice, "This will be a best-of-three battle. Are you ready?"

Red grabbed a Pokéball and smirked. "Bring it!"

* * *

Red and Erika threw their Pokéballs into the field. The lights emerging from the balls materialized into Growlithe and Tangela.

Red grinned. "_This is gonna be easy_!" he thought to himself. He gave his new Pokémon its first command; "Growlithe, Flamethrower!"

Growlithe released a stream of fire from its mouth toward Erika's Tangela. The vine Pokémon dodged the fire, and Red noticed Erika's face changing.

Suddenly she didn't seem so weak anymore; she looked confident. "I'm terribly sorry, Red, but I don't think you're going to win this battle, I can tell already!" Somehow, her meek voice sounded confident. "Tangela, PoisonPowder!"

Tangela released a sparkling purple powder from within it's vine-covered body, and the powder cloud moved toward Growlithe quickly.

"Growlithe, you can't afford to be hit by that! Get rid of it with a Flame Burst!" Red warned.

Growlithe stared at the cloud and released a large ball of fire from its mouth, which split into several smaller streams that moved through the cloud, burning the powder.

Red grinned. "Alright! Follow up with a-"

"Tangela, Ancientpower!" Erika shouted before Red could finish his command.

Tangela's vines started glowing white, before the light escaped its body and formed a silver ball of energy in front of it.

Red and Growlithe were unsure what to do. "What is that?" Red wondered aloud.

Erika smirked. "Tangela, do it!"

The silver ball was launched from Tangela's body toward Growlithe.

"Growlithe, up now!"

Growlithe jumped up into the air to avoid the energy sphere.

"Tangela, Slam!" Erika commanded.

Tangela jumped up, extended a vine, and slammed it down into Growlithe, causing Growlithe to fall down onto the energy sphere. Growlithe growled in pain as it hit the sphere. The sphere started rotating, and Growlithe was basically beat up repeatedly by the round energy. When the ball of light disappeared, Red could observe the newest addition to his team falling down to the field, unconscious.

"Did my fire-type just lose to your grass-type?" he exclaimed, shocked.

Erika smiled. "Ancientpower is a rock-move, so it's super effective. Too-"

She fell asleep again.

Red called Growlithe back into its Pokéball, and watched as Tangela slapped its trainer to wake her up.

"Oh my!" Erika gasped. "Terribly sorry, narcoleptic."

She returned Tangela, and pulled out a new Pokéball from her kimono. "Are you prepared for the next match?"

Red wasn't sure what to do. "_I need to save Charmeleon for last_." He decided to take a chance.

The two opponents threw a new Pokémon onto the field. Erika released a Vileplume, and Red released his Oddish.

Erika was positively surprised. "An Oddish? Finally a cute Pokémon!"

Red decided not to comment on the fact that he thought Growlithe was much cuter than Oddish.

"Do you think that can defeat its evolved form, Red?" she asked.

Red replied, "Who knows? All I know is I caught it specifically for challenging a gym, so it's got experience." He sounded confident, but he wasn't. "_Then again, it was specifically trained for a gym where it had a type advantage_."

The two Pokémon stared each other down.

"Vileplume, Sleep Powder!"

"Oddish, Acid!"

Red's weed Pokémon fired a ball of violet acid from its mouth, hitting Vileplume directly on its flower. However, it seemed to be unaffected. The flower Pokémon smiled, and released a blue, sparkling powder from the plant on its head. The powder enveloped the arena, and Red, holding his nose, was distracted by the sight of Erika desperately sniffing the air.

"_Jeez, what's with this woman?"_ His attention fell to the battle again, and he saw Oddish struggling to keep awake.

"Oh no! Oddish, come on! You can do it!"

Oddish looked back at its trainer drowsily, and saw the confidence its trainer had in it. It smiled, knowing Red felt that way. It turned around again and started to glow.

Red, Erika and Vileplume gasped.

The shape of Oddish slowly turned into the shape of a Gloom until it stopped glowing. Gloom, no longer sleepy and filled with confidence, looked back at its trainer and smiled.

Red gave it a thumbs up.

Erika grimaced. "That won't help you! Vileplume, Natural Gift!"

A berry fell out of Vileplume's flower; apparently, it had been keeping it there the whole time. Vileplume stared at the berry, causing it to glow somehow. It then ate it.

Red and Gloom nervously observed as Vileplume's eyes started glowing, and its colors became brighter and more intense.

Red knew he had to act fast. "Gloom, that must've been some sort of power-up. Stun Spore it before it can do anything!"

Vileplume rushed toward Gloom, and punched it directly in the face. Gloom winced, and Vileplume hit it again before it kicked it twice.

"Try again!" Red yelled, sick of seeing his Pokémon ambushed and unable to strike back.

Gloom was about to release the spores when it stopped, unable to move. It fell to its knees.

"What's going on?" Red wondered. He noticed that Vileplume was spinning around, creating a turquoise energy-circle around it. The circle had what looked like green static energy connecting it to Gloom, who seemed to be getting weaker and weaker, while Vileplume seemed more and more invigorated.

Red realized that his Gloom was unable to get out of the attack. "What is that?" he demanded to know from Erika.

She replied, "It's the strongest grass-type absorbing move. Giga Drain. Your Gloom will probably be unconscious soon."

Red looked into his Pokémon's eyes. Gloom was in a lot of pain.

"That's enough! Stop!" he yelled.

Erika jumped in surprise from the sudden loud noise. "Oh my. Are you surrendering?"

Red bowed his head down in shame. "Yes."

She tapped her Vileplume on the flower, causing it to stop the attack. Then she made it go back in its Pokéball, and watched as Red apologized to his Gloom and hugged it before he recalled it. "That's 2-0, Red. It looks like you lost." she said, almost apologetically.

Red thanked her for the battle and headed toward the door. After grabbing the handle, he paused and turned around. "Erika! I'll be back! And you're going to lose that battle!"

He opened the door and nearly crashed into Green. "Green? What's up?" he asked.

Green smirked. "What do you think?" He stared at Erika, who seemed a bit unnerved. "It's my turn!"

* * *

Red didn't like sitting in the stands, getting ready to watch Green fight Erika.

He would finally get to see Green in action against a gym leader, but on the other hand, he was sitting there to watch his rival beat someone he couldn't.

"Kind of sucks." he muttered under his breath.

Charmeleon, sitting next to him, nodded quietly with its arms crossed.

"I'm sorry you didn't get to fight." Red apologized to his fire lizard.

Charmeleon patted him on the back to assure him that it didn't matter.

Red had overheard Green telling Cheryl, Erika's assistant, that he had five Pokémon. "_Five, huh? I guess that means you've caught something. Let's see what it is, Green_."

Down on the field, Green stood quietly with his eyes closed. Erika had just explained that the match's rules was best-of-three, and he was currently considering his first Pokémon.

"Are you ready?" Erika asked politely.

Green opened his eyes. They were brimming with confidence. "I should ask you the same." he retorted.

His comment made Red think. "_Green's so confident, and he has a right to be. Maybe I was too cocky?"_

Cheryl shouted at the two trainers on the field, telling them to prepare their Pokéballs. "Okay, ready, set..."

The two trainers stared each other down.

"GO!"

The Pokéballs were thrown into the field, and the Pokémon within were released.

Erika had chosen a Weepinbell, while Green had chosen... an Eevee!

Red squealed with excitement by accident. Eevee was first on his list of cute Pokémon. He noticed he had squealed audibly, and hoped no one noticed.

Cheryl turned to him. "Cute sound you made there, Red. Hey, you're looking kind of red, Red."

She laughed at her own joke, while Red buried his face in shame inside his vest.

Charmeleon chuckled quietly.

Meanwhile, Green stared at his Eevee. "_Okay, you're pretty new to the team, but I believe I saw some potential in you. Let's see if I was right_."

Eevee positioned itself in a fighting stance; It was ready for battle.

Both trainers and their Pokémon were tense. To Red it seemed as though both were worried about beginning, but a more experienced trainer would see that the two trainers were reading each other, trying to predict what the other would do.

Green noticed, to his surprise, that Erika had fallen asleep standing up. He couldn't believe it.

Red and Cheryl rolled their eyes.

Green yelled out his command. "Eevee, Tackle it!"

Eevee ran toward Weepinbell and hit it head on, making it fall down.

"Eevee, Quick Attack, then Bite!"

Eevee did as its trainer wanted, damaging Weepinbell further.

Green was shocked that Erika still seemed to be sleeping. "Take Down!"

Once again, Eevee did as its trainer wanted, slamming its body into Weepinbell.

It looked like Weepinbell was going to faint any minute, but Red had noticed something Green hadn't.

Something seemed to be seeping out of Weepinbell's mouth.

He noticed Cheryl's smile, and realized Green was being fooled. "_She's not sleeping this time! It's a bluff!_"

Green didn't seem to understand what was going on yet.

Erika opened her eyes slowly and smiled. "Oh my. Narcoleptic." she apologized, barely holding back a chuckle. "It seems that your Eevee is having trouble focusing." she told Green.

"Huh?" He looked at Eevee and noticed the dazed look in its eyes.

Then he noticed the scent. "_What is that?" _he thought, "_It smells so... sweet? Oh no!"_

He finally understood. Erika had let her Weepinbell lie on the ground, slowly releasing a Sweet Scent, causing his Eevee to become disoriented.

Eevee tried to focus, but it was dizzy and saw double of its opponent. It stumbled toward Weepinbell, but fell on its face.

Erika giggled.

Red was shocked. "_Is he losing?!"_

Green frowned as Erika gave her Pokémon a command. "Weepinbell, Wrap!"

Vines emerged from Weepinbell's mouth, and rushed toward Eevee, wrapping it up. For over a minute, Green was subjected to the sight of his Pokémon being squeezed, getting weaker and weaker with every squeeze.

Finally he couldn't take it anymore. "COME ON!" Green roared furiously.

Eevee's ears perked up from the sound of its trainer's voice, and it somehow managed to focus and use the strength it needed to break free.

Erika was shocked. "But-but-the Sweet Scent?"

Green clenched his fist. "Great job, Eevee! Sorry, Erika, but there's no way my Pokémon are going to lose when I've decided they're going to win!"

Red and Charmeleon were sitting at the edge of their seats.

Both of the Pokémon on the battlefield looked tired and beat up. Green knew the match would soon be over.

"Eevee! Last Resort!"

Red had heard of this move once. "_If a Pokémon has used all the damaging moves it knows, it can use the Last Resort move."_

Eevee's eyes turned white, and it got tense for a moment.

Suddenly, it ran toward Weepinbell, and disappeared from sight.

"Where did it go?" Erika asked.

She got her answer when Eevee crashed down from above into Weepinbell.

A dust cloud formed. Green and Erika stared intensely at it until the dust settled, and they could see Eevee, barely conscious, standing victoriously over the fainted Weepinbell.

Green smirked and hurriedly recalled his Pokémon. "_I guess I was right about you_."

Erika recalled her flycatcher Pokémon, and smiled. "Wow. That's what I call turning the tide. Well done. But it's far from over!"

Charmeleon saw its trainer was starting to leave. It tugged on his vest, confused.

"She's wrong, Char. He managed to defeat her with a brand new Pokémon lacking a type advantage. Do you really think he'll lose with a flying and a psychic type at his disposal, especially when they've been with him for so long?"

Charmeleon understood.

Red returned it, and left the gym.

* * *

Ten minutes later, Red was busy walking around inside the huge city mall. He was awestruck by the sheer size of it. So much so that he didn't even notice the eighteen year old girl walking toward him before they collided.

They both fell down after hitting each other.

He rubbed his head in pain. "Sorry-" He stopped apologizing when he saw who it was. "Daisy? Daisy Oak?"

The ginger-haired girl in front of him was as surprised as he was. "Red?"

They got up and shook hands.

"What are you doing here, Daisy?" Red asked Green's older sister.

"What do you think? Shopping of course!" she proclaimed with excitement.

Red noticed the numerous shopping bags she had with her, all carried by a Machop.

"So anyway, what are you doing here?" Daisy wondered

Red was embarrassed. "I... I lost against the gym leader earlier. I'm gonna try again tonight, but first I figured I'd check out this mall."

Daisy started going through her purse. "I might have a couple of things you could use."

Red started waving his hands in front of him. "No, Daisy, you don't have to do that."

"Like I didn't have to give you and Blue maps even after my douchebag brother told me not to give them to you?" she said with a wink.

* * *

The sun was almost gone when Red returned to the gym. He knocked on the door, and Cheryl opened.

"It's getting late." she said with an impatient tone in her voice.

He pointed to the sign on the door. It said "This gym is open for challenges."

Cheryl sighed. "And I was just about to take that down and put up the Closed-sign. Alright, come in."

Red was surprised to see Green sitting by himself in the stands. "Green? You're still here?"

Green seemed annoyed. "I've been waiting for you. I don't have anything better to do at the moment, and I knew you wouldn't be able to wait until tomorrow to try again." He showed off his new badge. It was shaped like a flower with rainbow colored petals

Erika walked into the arena. "Hello again, Red. I'm glad you decided to return."

Red walked to the challenger side of the field, and smiled. "That's right, I'm back. And this time I'll try to do better."

"Ready!" Cheryl started, and the two trainers prepared their Pokéballs. "Set! GO!"

Erika and Red threw their balls into the field, and released Tangela and Charmeleon.

"Charmeleon, Flamethrower!"

The jet of fire blasted toward Tangela, who dodged it easily by moving sideways.

"Slam!" Erika yelled.

Tangela extended a vine, but Red wasn't going to let it finish the move. "Scary Face!"

Charmeleon made a grimace that made Tangela nervous, and it started to retract its vine. The fire lizard grabbed it, and pulled Tangela over to its side.

The two Pokémon were suddenly standing right in front of each other.

"Charmeleon! Flamethrower again!"

Charmeleon grinned as Tangela and Erika's eyes widened. It blasted Tangela point blank with its fire.

Once it stopped, Tangela was unconscious and burnt.

Erika returned it, and Red and Charmeleon gave each other a high five.

Red returned his Pokémon and got his next ball out. "Are you ready for-OH COME ON!" he yelled in frustration as he saw Erika sleeping again, this time actually lying down.

She jolted when she woke up due to his screaming. "Oh my. I apologize, narc-"

"Yeah yeah," Red interrupted, "narcoleptic. I got it. Let's finish this!"

Once again, the two trainers released their Pokémon.

Vileplume versus... Vileplume!

Green and Erika were surprised.

Red smiled. "_Thanks to the leafstone I got from Daisy, Gloom could evolve and become stronger!_" "Vileplume!" he shouted, "Petal Dance!"

Red's Vileplume jumped into the air and started spinning. Countless pink petals escaped its flower, enveloping the arena and obscuring the opponent's sight.

"Erika, you're in trouble now! I'm loading up a Solarbeam!" Red shouted mockingly.

Erika was offended. "You feel so confident that you would tell me your plan? Vileplume, prepare your own Solarbeam!"

The petals started falling to the ground, and Erika extended her hand toward Red's side of the field. "Vileplume, now!"

Her Vileplume fired a white beam from its flower, but it didn't even reach Red's Vileplume before it dissipated.

Red laughed. "Did you really think I was gonna use a Solarbeam with this little sunlight to draw energy from?"

Erika hadn't even realized the sun had set.

"Finally noticed how dark it is in here?" Red asked. "Good! It's time to make things brighter! Vileplume, Flash!"

His Vileplume started shining, giving off a bright light which blinded Erika and her Vileplume.

"Now, while they're disoriented! Sleep Powder!"

The sparkling blue powder that Vileplume released didn't reach Erika's Vileplume. It only hit Red's own, and it fell asleep.

Erika was surprised. "Did you just render your own Pokémon asleep? Not clever! Vileplume, go and kick it until it blacks out!"

Her Vileplume strolled over toward Red's, and Red laughed. "You fell for it! Sleep Talk!"

Red's Vileplume stood up and dodged Erika's Vileplume's kick while still asleep. It dodged a couple of punches and flailed wildly with its arms, hitting Erika's Vileplume and causing it to fall down on the ground.

"_And now for my favorite part, the one where it uses a random move it knows._" Red grinned.

The still sleeping Vileplume jumped high into the air, facing towards the sky. As it did, its body was surrounded in an invisible energy. A bright flash of yellow light appeared in front of its face and it faced toward the other Vileplume. It shot itself at the opponent and an orb of light purple energy with spiraling light yellow streaks around it appeared around Red's Vileplume, and it slammed into Erika's Pokémon with great force, rendering it unconscious.

Red was shocked. "_I didn't know Vileplume knew something like that! I wonder what move that was._"

Green was surprised. "_It knows Giga Impact?!_"

After both trainers had returned their Pokémon, Cheryl walked into the arena and grabbed Red's hand, lifting it. "The winner, with two matches won, is Red!"

Red grinned widely as Erika walked over to him and handed him the rainbow badge. "Congratulations, Red."

Red looked up at Green, who gave him a sarcastic thumbs up.

They both said goodbye to Erika and Cheryl, and left the gym, happy and unaware that in a few hours, they would be fighting for their life against Team Rocket.

* * *

_To be continued..._

_Feel free to leave a review or a comment if you want to, but please avoid spoilers._


	9. Casino Showdown

**The FireRed/LeafGreen/WaterBlue Chronicles**

**Chapter IX**

**Casino Showdown**

* * *

"By the way, I met your sister. She's here." Red recalled as he and Green were walking from the gym to the mall.

Green's expression changed to one of horror. "What?! We have to get out of here before she finds us! That evil, bitchy, awful-"

Red started to laugh, knowing full well that the only person Green was scared of was his older sister.

"Actually Green, when I said she was here... I meant here."

Green froze. "So you're saying... she's right behind me, isn't she?"

Daisy grabbed his shoulder. "Sure am, li'l bro. You're still as mean as always I hear."

Green apologized repeatedly, but Daisy stopped him.

"Sorry, Green, no time for that. Guys, there's something important I need to tell you. There's something you two need to know."

Red and Green leaned in.

"Red told me earlier that Team Rocket kidnapped Blue. Well... they took grandpa as well."

Green and Red's eyes widened in surprise.

"Gramps!"

"They took the professor?"

Daisy interrupted them. "There's more. They're here."

"WHAT?!"

"I just heard from some locals," she whispered, "apparently they've taken over the casino, that's why it's closed. They've been using it as a hideout for weeks."

"Why isn't the police doing anything?" Green asked.

"People say that they forced the owner to sell it to them, and there's no signs of them actually doing anything illegal there. That means the police has nothing to go on, so they can't get a warrant or anything. The previous owner keeps insisting it was a normal deal and that the casino's currently renovating." his sister answered.

Red started shaking with anger. "Right. Green, you know what this means?"

Green nodded, also looking very angry.

Daisy seemed confused as the two started walking away.

"What are you two doing?" she shouted.

The two turned around to answer her.

"The only thing we can do." Green replied.

Red immediately added; "We're going to save our friends and stop Team Rocket!"

* * *

A young, low-ranking member of Team Rocket walked toward a door and opened it. The room behind the door was dark. The only source of light was a computer-screen. The Rocket-member moved toward it to see what was on it.

"Step away, or I will be forced to remove your testicles from the rest of your body."

The member let out a girly scream as he jumped away from the computer.

The higher-ranking member who had threatened him stepped out of the darkness and closer to the computer. "What's your name, boy?"

The low-ranking member wiped a drop of sweat from his forehead. "Uh, it's Joey, sir. My name is Joey"

"You look young."

"Well, I am young. I only joined the organization a week ago."

The older man looked at Joey, twirling his mustache in a sinister fashion. "Why did you decide to enter our ranks, Joey?"

"Uhm, well, people were always making fun of me and my Pokémon. You see, my Rattata is in the top percent-"

"Are you serious?" the mustached man interrupted. "Just... just shut your mouth. Tell me, why are you here?"

Joey didn't answer.

"Well, say something, kid!"

"But you told me to shut-"

"Are you the dumbest person in this world?!"

Joey took a step back. "I'm sorry. Ms. Zuka told me to tell you that the two remaining Dex-holders have broken into the casino."

The other Rocket grinned. "Very well. You're excused, Joey. Leave this building and take all of our fellow members with you. Let me and Ms. Zuka take care of this."

Joey ran out of the room.

The higher-ranking member turned to the computer and clicked on an icon. A feed of a security cam appeared on the screen. He clicked three more times, switching to different cameras until he found what he was looking for. He chuckled as he observed the two teenagers trying to sneak around in the casino's storage room.

"Oh, you silly fools. You escaped my grasp on the cruise ship. But this time... you're mine!"

* * *

"Red, be careful. You almost knocked that box over." Green hissed.

Red rolled his eyes. "I can't see anything, Green," he whispered back, "it's too dark. If you would've just let me light this place up-"

"Are you stupid?!" Green replied. "We're trying to sneak in!"

Red pointed toward one of the room's corners. "Guess what, Green. Do you see that up there? That right there? That red blinking light? That's a friggin' security camera! Which means they've probably seen us already. They know we're here! And do you know what?" He threw a Pokéball. It flashed and released something, but Green couldn't see what because of the darkness.

"We're going to do this!" Red continued. "We're going to defeat these guys, we're going to rescue Blue and the professor, and we're going to find out why they took her and what they want with us!"

Green had never heard Red sounding as determined as he did now.

"ARE YOU READY?!" Red shouted.

Green knew that there was no way they would be able to go on unnoticed after those three words were shouted. He took a moment to sigh, and chuckled. "Alright, Red. Light this place up!"

Red smiled, and his Pokémon released a bright light.

Green noticed it was a Raichu! "Wait! When did you evolve your Pikachu?"

"When Vileplume did. Your sister didn't just give me a leafstone. She gave me a thunderstone, a waterstone and a firestone as well."

"I've told her not to give you things." Green complained as the light started to fade.

Red and Green noticed a door.

"Do you think we'll be able to do this? Take down Team Rocket?" Green asked.

Red laughed while returning his Raichu. "Sure!"

Green gave Red a disappointed look. "Sure? I wanted something with a bit more confidence."

Red shrugged. "I wanted to do the catchphrase, but you told me that it's stupid."

Green sighed again. "Just this once."

Red grinned. "Say please."

"I am NOT going to say please!"

"Fine." Red laughed. "Okay, I'm ready. Ask me again."

"Do you think we'll be able to take down Team Rocket?" Green asked.

Red grinned. "Piece of cake!"

The two threw themselves at the door, bursting it open. They fell down on the floor and checked their surroundings. They were in a narrow hallway. Green got back up and helped Red get on his feet. Red brushed some dust from his shoulders as Green pointed toward a door. They opened it and stepped into the next room. It was pitch black.

"Where are we, Green?" Red asked.

"I don't know."

They heard a sinister chuckle. The lights turned on, and they could see that they were inside the main room of the casino.

Red stared at the slot machines, the roulette wheels and the poker tables, not even noticing the two people lurking behind a counter.

Green tapped Red's shoulder to get his attention, and pointed toward the counter.

Two Rocket-members stepped out from behind it.

Red and Green instantly recognized the man. He was the man with the mustache from the S. S. Anne. One of the men who had caused them to throw themselves off a ship into the ocean and lose their Wigglytuff and Raticate.

"Giallo!" Red screamed with fury. Green held him back.

Giallo chuckled. "Hello again, boys. Allow me to introduce my associate, the beautiful Ms. Zuka."

Ms. Zuka was a broad-shouldered woman with bright pink hair. She wore a gold version of the usually black costume the Rocket members wore, which seemed to threaten to rip under the stress of her muscles.

Red and Green were both thinking the same thing. "_This woman is not beautiful_."

Giallo smirked. "So boys, are you prepared to-"

"What did you do to Blue? To Wigglytuff and Raticate?!" Red screamed.

Giallo's face turned annoyed. "Boy, did I allow you to talk?!" he shouted back. His mustache twitched as Ms. Zuka giggled.

"Your friend is locked up in our main HQ with the professor and all the other useful people we've kidnapped." Zuka laughed. She turned to Giallo. "Now tell them, Giallo," she insisted, "tell them what we did with their precious rat and pink blob."

Red and Green were tense as they awaited Giallo's answer.

"Heh," he chuckled, "fine. Your Raticate and Wigglytuff put up a brave fight, but in the end, of course, they were outmatched. We took them and experimented on them. Unfortunately, they were of no use."

Red grinded his teeth. Green clenched his fist.

"Therefore," Giallo smirked, "we disposed of them. They're no longer among the living."

Red and Green grabbed their Pokéballs.

"You goddamn bastards! I'll kill you!" Red shouted.

It took all of Green's self-control to not shout as well. He figured one of them had to keep their cool.

Ms. Zuka giggled again. "They were so weak. You should have seen their faces when we told them you had been found dead in the ocean."

That was the last drop. Green snapped. "You two... are... dead!"

He released Ivysaur, Pidgeotto and Kadabra. Red released Charmeleon, Raichu and Vileplume. Giallo's and Ms. Zuka's smiles disappeared as they tried to reach for their Pokéballs, but were unable to when Red's and Green's Pokémon attacked them all at once.

Pidgeotto grabbed Zuka's hair and lifted her into the air, and Ivysaur whipped her with its vines. Vileplume threw a handful of powder in Giallo's face, causing him to cough violently, and Charmeleon blasted fire, burning half his face.

The two villains tried to get away, but tripped and fell, dizzy from Kadabra's mind influence. They lied on the ground as Raichu shocked them repeatedly.

Red and Green showed no emotion as they stood and watched. They both thought the same thing. "_This isn't like us. To do something like this. But those two aren't just anyone. What they did to our Pokémon. It can't be forgiven_."

Giallo screamed, while Ms. Zuka was nearly unconscious.

Suddenly, right after Raichu stopped shocking the villains and they were both unconscious, the room started shaking, and the lights flickered. A deep, thoroughly evil laughter filled the room.

"That was truly cold-hearted," the deep voice bellowed, "maybe we're not so different after all."

Red and Green looked on in fear as an UltraBall was thrown into the room and a large Nidoking was released.

Their Pokémon barely had time to react before it attacked. Its horn glowed white and extended before it quickly moved toward Kadabra and stabbed it. The large Pokémon's body became surrounded by a whitish-blue aura, and it shot at Raichu with its head pointed at it, slamming into the mouse with its head. Pidgeotto and Vileplume charged toward it, but it turned around and, with one fist covered in sparks and one fist covered in an icy glow, punched them both.

Charmeleon and Ivysaur watched as all four of Red and Green's other Pokémon fell to the floor, unconscious. They looked at each other nervously as the Nidoking approached them. Charmeleon tried to run around it to attack from behind, while Ivysaur intended to attack from the front.

The Nidoking smirked, and released a stream of orange-red fire from its mouth, burning Ivysaur. Immediately after it dealt with Charmeleon by surrounding its powerful tail in a stream of water that spiraled around it, before slamming it into the fire lizard.

Red and Green looked in horror at their Pokémon, all lying on the floor, unconscious. The two teenagers, while shaking in fear, returned them to their Pokéballs.

"I must say, I am impressed you dared to come here." the deep voice continued, "but I cannot forgive what you did to my underlings. For that, I will make you feel a world of pain!"

Nidoking was returned just as two GreatBalls were thrown into the middle of the room, releasing a Rhyhorn and an Onix. The Onix filled the large room, leaving no chance of escape.

Red whispered to Green, "Hey, Green? What do you have left?"

"Eevee and Magikarp. You?"

"Butterfree and Growlithe."

"Okay then."

Red and Green released Butterfree, Growlithe and Eevee.

Green noticed he'd started sweating. "You do realize that with these Pokémon we don't stand a chance, right Red?"

Red nodded. "Do you care?" He pointed his finger toward the Onix. "Butterfree, Sleep Powder!"

Butterfree flew over the two rock-types to release the powder, but was swiftly smashed into the walls by the Onix's tail, and Red returned it.

Green told Eevee to use Take Down, and Eevee threw itself into the Onix, which didn't even seem to notice it.

"Growlithe, Flame Wheel!" Red ordered.

Growlithe cloaked itself with fire and charged at the Rhyhorn. The Rhyhorn headbutted Growlithe away.

The deep laugh bellowed again. "Useless! You're both useless!"

Green turned to Red. "You can't use that move!"

"Why not?"

"It's a physical attack. That thing is a friggin' tank! If you don't have anything that's super effective then you should stick to special attacks!"

"Really?" Red countered with an annoyed tone, "And what are you doing with your Eeve exactly? Gonna use all its attacks so that it can use that Last Resort move again?! Don't you realize it'll faint before it gets the chance?!"

Green wailed his arms around. "So what am I supposed to do?"

"I know something that might work."

"Fine," Green replied, "let's switch! Eevee, listen to this dumbass!"

"Growlithe, listen to this asshole!"

Growlithe and Eevee nodded to signal that they understood.

The deep laughter bellowed once more. "Really? You have such little confidence in your own Pokémon you take command of each others? And here I thought Dex-holders were supposed to have the potential for greatness."

The words lingered on Green's mind, but he wasn't sure why.

"Eevee, Trump Card!" Red shouted.

Eevee released an electric-like energy which hit the Onix, though it seemed unaffected.

Green commanded Red's Growlithe. "Come on, Growlithe! Hit it with a Flame Burst!"

Growlithe released a stream of fire from its mouth into the air in which the flames formed a ball of fire.

The Rhyhorn stared at the fireball.

The deep voice roared. "Rhyhorn, Rock Blast!"

Three light blue rings appeared and spun around Rhyhorn's body. The rings turned into glowing white rocks, still spinning around Rhyhorn. The fireball bursted into multiple streaks of fire which flew toward Rhyhorn. The spinning rocks were sent flying toward Growlithe. Growlithe managed to dodge them all, but Rhyhorn was hit straight-on. It seemed to be in a slight discomfort for a second before it shook it off.

"_Dammit_," Green thought, "_fire won't do_." He noticed that Red had been using the same move against Onix five-six times, all the while dodging Onix's attacks. "What are you doing?" he shouted.

"Trump Card." Red replied loudly, "The attack grows stronger and stronger the more it's used. Once Eevee only has the strength to use it one last time, it will be really powerful."

His rival's words gave Green an idea. "Nice! How many more until that happens?"

Red replied, unsure of what Green had in mind. "I think this one's it."

Green smiled slyly. "Great! Do it, but hit them both!"

"But that'll split the power?"

"Just trust me!"

Red turned to Eevee. "One final time! Trump Card!"

Green shouted to Growlithe. "Growlithe, Helping Hand!"

Growlithe released a bolt of blue electricity which hit Eevee. Eevee seemed to be strengthened by it, and the energy it released turned blue as well.

Red and Green grinned as they observed the energy enveloping Rhyhorn and Onix, making the two Pokémon twitch before they fell down to the floor unconscious. The two rivals pumped their fists into the air.

"We did it!" Red laughed.

Green was relieved. "_We did it. We won!"_

"Well, that was interesting." the deep voice spoke. "But remember kids, most trainers have more than two Pokémon."

Another UltraBall was thrown into the middle of the room in the same moment that Onix and Rhyhorn were returned. A Kanghaskan appeared from the Ball.

Red fell to his knees as the massive beast roared. "I-it's over. W-we lost." he stuttered.

Green bowed his head. "Eevee and Growlithe doesn't have anything left. And Magikarp is useless."

They returned their exhausted Pokémon and put their hands up.

"Alright!" Green yelled. "You won!"

"What happens now?!" Red shouted.

The deep voice was silent. Somehow, it was even more frightening than when he was laughing. There was absolutely no sound in the room until they heard someone walking.

Slow steps.

Eventually they could see a man wearing a black designer suit and black designer shoes. He had a red _R_ pinned to his chest. It was too dark to see his face.

The man finally continued speaking. "What happens now? Oh, this is where the fun begins. You see, now that I won, you two are going to surrender. Then you're going to come with me. And you're going to do whatever the hell I tell you to do."

Green was enraged. "What do you want with us? And Blue? What do we have to do with anything?! We're just three kids from Pallet Town! We're nothing!"

The man laughed again. "Nothing? You are the Dex-holders."

"What's so special about that?" Red asked, grabbing his Pokédex and looking at it.

Green did the same.

"Do you know how many people exists who have that?" the man asked. "Three. You two and your friend. That's it!"

Green didn't seem surprised. "So? My grandfather didn't make more than three and he didn't give them to anyone but us."

"That's funny." the man continued, "You actually think that those devices are simply a technological wonder. You think it's a coincidence the three of you received them."

"What are you talking about?" Red asked.

"The Pokédex! They're an important part of the legend!" the man bellowed enthusiastically. "The Legend of Three! It's a common legend which has been heard all over the world!"

Green raised his eyebrow. "A legend?"

"Yes!" the voice spoke, "The Legend of Three! It says: **When there is a great danger approaching, three will be chosen by the wise, and they will be handed the weapons they need to ensure the future of this world**!"

The two wasn't sure what to make of it all.

Red stood up. "What are you saying?" he asked.

"I'm saying that I am the danger approaching, my organization and I." the man continued. "The wise professor gave you a starter and a Pokédex. And you three will ensure my success. I'm going to use you three to create the future I want!"

Green was furious. "Excuse me?! You're threatening the safety of our friends and family, you're doing everything you're doing because of some stupid legend?!"

"YES!" the man screamed. "YES! Because you three are going to lead me to the legendary bird trio!"

Green laughed. "Oh? So one ancient fairytale is going to lead you to a different ancient fairytale?"

"Yes." the man answered coldly.

"Why are you so sure?" Green asked.

"Because your grandfather told me I was right." the man replied.

Green was stunned.

"It's time to go." the man ordered. "Enough smalltalk. You're going to come with-" He was interrupted by sirens.

Police sirens.

"What is this?" he asked.

Green smirked. "The Pokédex. It happens to have a distress button. When I grabbed it, I pressed that button. It sent a signal directly to the closest police station. Congratulations. You lost!"

The man standing in the shadows was silent. He moved slowly into the darkness. "Fine. I'll give you this round. But this isn't over."

Red fake-pouted. "Are you leaving us already?" He chuckled nervously.

The man didn't answer, and disappeared into the shadows.

Red's legs felt like Jell-o. He fell down on the floor and started crying. "Oh man. Oh man." He wasn't able to say anything else.

Green sat down. He patted Red on his back and stared blankly out in front of him.

The police stormed in and found the two on the floor.

"Are you alright?" a policewoman asked.

Green looked up at her. "No. Not at all."

* * *

The police cuffed Giallo and Ms. Zuka, and took them into custody.

Red and Green received emergency treatment, and their Pokémon were brought to the PokéCenter.

The two sat on a sidewalk, each with a blanket covering them.

Red was still shaking from the experience.

Green noticed a policeman bringing something out of the building and showing it to the policewoman.

"Lt. Jensen, what do we do with this?" the man asked.

"What is it?" the lieutenant asked.

"It appears to be a Silph-product, possibly stolen. It was found on that Giallo-guy's person."

"Put it with the rest of the evidence." Jensen answered.

Green observed the man putting the gadget into a plastic bag and putting it in the trunk of the policecar. He then walked back to the casino without shutting the trunk. Green checked his surroundings.

All the police officers were back inside.

He ran over to the policecar, grabbed the Silph-product, and ran back. He sat down next to Red again in the exact same moment that the lieutenant and the officers came back out. Green made sure the blanket covered him and the gadget he took.

The lieutenant gave the two a compassionate nod before she closed the trunk and they all drove away.

Red turned to Green. "What was that about? Why did you take that?"

Green showed him the gadget. "I recognized it from a science magazine. It's called a Silph Scope."

"What does that mean?" Red wondered.

Green smiled faintly. "It means we're going to Lavender Town, Red. We're going to see Raticate and Wigglytuff again, one last time."

* * *

_To be continued..._

_Feel free to leave a review or a comment if you want to, but please avoid spoilers._


	10. Pokémon Tower

**The FireRed/LeafGreen/WaterBlue Chronicles**

**Chapter X**

**Pokémon Tower**

* * *

"The Silph Scope." Green explained. "It's a one-of-a-kind prototype. It never went into production."

"What does it do?" Red asked, staring at the gadget, which looked like a helmet and binoculars combined.

"It was supposed to enable trainers to see wild ghost-types that had turned invisible as a self-defense mechanism. But it worked in a way they never could've imagined."

"What do you mean?"

"Everyone who watched the presentation video saw what happened. The exec put the Scope on his head, and he started crying. No one knew what was going on. The Gastly they had used for the presentation made itself visible, and it seemed as confused as everyone else." Green paused. He wasn't sure he would have believed the next part, if he had not witnessed it himself. "The exec uttered one word: Donald."

"Who was Donald?" Red asked.

"It was his first Pokémon. A Psyduck. Apparently, he could see it, and even talk to it. So he took it off, and put it on his assistant. The assistant started crying too. Apparently, he saw the Vulpix he'd lost as a child. Red, you realize what I'm telling you? They saw their deceased Pokémon."

Red was speechless.

"The exec tried to put it on once more to see his Psyduck again, but it didn't work anymore. It turned out to be a one-time deal."

Red didn't completely understand. "Why didn't they mass-produce these things? People would pay anything to see their lost Pokémon!"

"Yes, they would. But the board decided it was morally wrong. Dead means dead. They felt it was too cruel to let people see their lost ones only one time, and then they were gone forever again. They figured that people had to let go, like they've always done. They didn't want to mess with the way life works."

Red rubbed his head. It was a lot to take in. "But we're gonna do it anyway?"

Green nodded. "I have to say goodbye, Red. I can't let the last time I saw Raticate be on that ship."

Red agreed. "I know what you mean. But why do we have to go to Lavender Town to do it?"

"The Psyduck and the Vulpix had died with their owners near them, so their spirits were connected to them and could appear next to them no matter where they were. But it's been a while between we last saw our Pokémon and when they..." Green stopped himself from uttering the words he couldn't bear say, and skipped to the next sentence. "Lavender Town is called _the town of spirits._ The Pokémon tower is one huge graveyard, and many people choose to store their Pokémon's ashes there."

"Does that mean Wigglytuff and Raticate's spirits will be there?" Red asked.

"There's no way to be sure," Green replied, "but if their spirits have connected to somewhere, why not the place in Kanto with the most concentrated spiritual energy?" He shrugged, as if he was uncertain whether he believed his own words or not. "You know... if you believe in that stuff."

Red clenched his fist with determination. "We'll have to believe!" He stood up from the park bench and grabbed his backpack. He seemed ready to run back to the quiet town.

"Wait a second, Red. I have one more thing to discuss."

Red stopped in his tracks. "What is it?"

Green held a Pokéball in his hand. "I propose a trade."

Red was surprised. "A trade? Really?"

"Yes." Green continued. "Earlier, you did a pretty okay job controlling my Eevee. You seemed to, despite your lesser skills and knowledge, understand it on a level I don't. And I was clearly superior to you when it came to controlling your Growlithe. So I propose we make it a permanent trade."

Red ignored the thinly-veiled insults and grabbed Growlithe's Pokéball. "I want what's best for my Pokémon. And... you did seem to understand Growlithe in a way I didn't."

"So it's a deal? We're doing the trade?"

Red smiled. "Yes."

* * *

As the sun rose to shine a golden light over the quaint little place known as Lavender Town, the two teenagers strolled into town.

"This place looks so boring" Red mentioned to his rival.

"Sure does." Green replied without a trace of interest in his voice.

Red noticed. "It's hard to care about anything else right now, isn't it" he commented, knowing they both felt the same at this moment.

Green stopped. So did Red. They stared up at the large Pokémon Tower in front of them.

"Here it is." Green stated.

"We should go in... right?" Red asked hesitantly.

Several seconds passed before Green answered him. "Definitely. We should. Absolutely. No reason not to."

Red couldn't help but smile a little. "You sure?" he asked, poking fun at Green's numerous answers to his question.

Green scoffed. "This is no time for jokes, Red."

Red's smile faded. "I know. Just trying to lighten the mood, that's all."

His rival looked around them. "Where is everyone?"

The town was quiet. Too quiet.

Red and Green jumped in surprise as they were both tapped on their shoulder by two frail fingers. They turned around to discover the person that had tapped them was an old lady.

"What do you two think you're doing?"

Green was quick to answer. "We're here to pay tribute to our fallen Pokémon. Why do you care?"

Red noticed the look on her face. Her eyes were shifty. There was no hint of a smile on her lips. Her fingers were shaking. He realized instantly what was wrong with her. _"She's scared."_

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Clearly, you two don't pay attention to the news." she replied. "If you did, you would know that the tower has been sieged by Team Rocket."

"WHAT?!" Red and Green exclaimed upon hearing what the old lady had revealed.

Green was furious. "Why aren't the police doing anything?"

"They're right outside of the town in a cabin, figuring out what they should do. They're in contact with the Rocket-men inside, trying to negotiate."

"Why not just storm the tower and take them down?" Red asked.

"They can't. Not while Team Rocket has my husband held hostage up there. They say they will kill him if they see police trying to get up there."

Green put his hands behind his head in frustration. "What a horrific situation."

Red clenched his fists. "They don't want police up there? Fine." He looked at Green. "We'll go."

The old lady was taken aback. "I can't make you do that!"

Red and Green had already turned their backs to her and started walking toward the entrance.

"You don't have to." Green answered her, his back against her still. "We have unfinished business with them."

* * *

The two teenagers were completely silent as they ascended the stairs within the tower, until they got to the third floor where Red decided to break the silence.

"Unfinished business?" he whispered. "They've wiped the floor with us both times we've fought them."

"I know." Green whispered back. "But we have to put that behind us and believe in ourselves enough to defeat them this time."

"Alright." Red replied. "I'm just glad you're walking in front of me. That way, I'll be able to come up with a strategy while they're busy kicking your weak ass."

Green chuckled. "That's the spirit."

Though the two tried to force confidence, their surroundings did its best to deny them it. The stairs were creaking. The lights were out. And on every floor there were dozens of gravestones with urns in front of them.

Red couldn't help but be creeped out. "Green. Do you realize we're surrounded by dead Pokémon?"

Green kept going forward with a determined look on his face. "Let's focus on what's in front of us, Red. Team Rocket won't know what hit them." He stopped.

"What's wrong, Green?"

"Do you hear that?" he whispered.

Red focused on hearing what Green meant:_"__Talking"_.

Green grabbed a Pokéball. Red did the same.

"Are you ready?" Green asked.

"Are you?" Red replied.

"I can honestly say I have no idea. But do we have a choice?"

"Nope." Red smiled nervously. "Too late to turn now. Do you have a plan?"

Green shook his head.

"Then let's just go in there and take them down!" Red declared.

The two raised their feet and kicked in the door separating the hallway from the fifth floor main room. The dust swirled in the light let in by the windows as the two teenagers stepped inside.

A familiar voice spoke upon seeing the two; "Sup?"

They froze. Only for a moment, but enough to show their opponent that they were not as self-confident as they let on. In front of them stood three Rocket-members. Two average grunts, both dressed in the standard Team Rocket-suit. But behind those two stood a man Red and Green had met before. A large, tall, and chubby man. A man who had stood with Giallo on the S.S. Anne, defeated them, and taken their Pokémon. A man who along with Giallo was responsible for Wigglytuff and Raticate's deaths.

Sascha.

"Been a while since I last saw you two." he stated. "Heard you two were responsible for putting Giallo and Ms. Zuka in jail. That's not cool."

Red gritted his teeth. "We'll send you there too!"

Sascha laughed. "That's cute. The way I heard it, you two were destroyed by the boss. And if Giallo and Ms. Zuka had managed to release their Pokémon, they would've probably destroyed you first."

Green's fingers were twitching. "What's your point?"

Sascha grinned. "I won't make it as easy for you." He nodded toward his two subordinates, and they grabbed a Pokéball each.

Green motioned to Red. "I'll take the one on the left."

"Alright." Red replied. "Which one should I take?"

"... the one on the right."

"Yeah. That makes sense."

The two teenagers and the two Rocket-grunts released four Pokémon into the room.

Red and Green released Charmeleon and Ivysaur. The two grunts released a Wigglytuff and a Raticate.

The teenagers were instantly reminded of their lost Pokémon, and hesitated to make a move.

"Hah!" Sascha bellowed. "Just as I thought. Play a little with people's heads, and they're easy to finish off. Good thing we had some guys on lookout. Once they saw you coming, there was no problem in getting these two Pokémon sent here." he explained. "But enough exposition. Guys, get 'em"

As commanded, the two Rocket-grunts gave their orders to their Pokémon.

"Wigglytuff, Body Slam!"

"Raticate, Sucker Punch!"

Both Pokémon hurled their bodies toward Red and Green's starters.

Red and Green raised their left hand and gave their command simultaneously; "Return!"

Charmeleon and Ivysaur flexed all the muscles in their bodies, anticipating the opponent's Pokémon. Just before the attacks connected, the teenagers' Pokémon dodged and hit back. Charmeleon punched Raticate, while Ivysaur kicked Wigglytuff. The two Pokémon belonging to the Rockets were launched into their owners, sending all four into a wall.

Both the grunts and the Pokémon were now unconscious.

Sascha had an impressed look on his face. "Hmm. Return. A move that's more effective the stronger the bond between trainer and Pokémon. Not bad."

Red and Green stared at Sascha with a determined focus in their eyes.

"Enough mindgames." Green stated.

"Do you think we don't know the difference between our Pokémon and other Pokémon of the same species?" Red added.

"Alright then." Sascha smiled slyly. "Time to get serious."

The large man grabbed two Pokéballs with one hand, and threw them. "Go, Golbat, Drowzee!"

The bat Pokémon and the hypnosis Pokémon appeared from their Pokéballs, ready for a fight. Charmeleon and Ivysaur were both returned and switched out with Butterfree and Kadabra.

Sascha smirked. "Don't think you'll win just because you have the type advantage. Drowzee, Hypnosis!"

Drowzee waved its hands, releasing multiple multicolored circles from its face at Red and Green's Pokémon, causing them both to fall asleep.

"Golbat, Swift!"

Golbat waved its wings, and several white stars came out of them, flying toward Butterfree and Kadabra. Right before the stars were about to hit, both Pokémon opened their eyes as they woke up.

Red and Green shouted in unison; "Dodge!"

Butterfree flew over the stars, while Kadabra ducked. The stars crashed into the wall behind them, leaving several singed marks on it.

"Butterfree, Tailwind!" Red ordered.

Butterfree waved its wings at Drowzee, causing a strong whirlwind that blew it to the other side of the room.

Meanwhile, Green had ordered a Charge Beam from Kadabra. Kadabra lowered its head slightly and an orb of yellow electricity formed in front of its mouth. It then headbutted the orb, firing a beam of yellow electricity from the orb at Golbat.

The bat, with its quick reflexes, managed to dodge it.

At the same time, a multicolored beam hit Butterfree, causing it to crash down on the floor.

"Nice Psybeam." Sascha complimented his Drowzee, which had returned to his side.

Green knew the battle wasn't going their way. Drowzee, though weak against bug-moves, was overpowering Butterfree due to the strength of its special-attacks. And Kadabra was too slow to even touch Golbat, who's speed and evasiveness was far greater than Green's psychic Pokémon.

"Green, Golbat's too fast and Drowzee's special moves are too good." Red whispered. "Let's switch temporarily. I'll make Golbat slower and you make Drowzee's special attack weaker."

Green was surprised by Red's quick thinking, but he liked it. "Alright!"

"Butterfree, Stun Spore!"

"Kadabra, Light Screen on Butterfree!"

Butterfree flew over Golbat, and an orange mist came out of the butterfly's wings. The mist was too expansive for Golbat to dodge, and Sascha could see his Pokémon's movements becoming stiffer.

Immediately after Butterfree was done and returned to its trainer's side, Kadabra's eyes glowed yellow and six glowing yellow walls appeared around Butterfree, forming a box around it.

"Green, I paralyzed it, so it should be easier to hit now."

"Nice. Light Screen will halve the power of special moves, so Butterfree should be good too."

The two young trainers signaled their Pokémon that they were going to switch opponents again.

Sascha was not amused. The two trainers had turned the tide. "Golbat, Air Slash! Drowzee, Psyshock!"

Golbat tried to move its wings, but it had become so stiff that it couldn't even stay airborne.

Drowzee crouched its body together and three thick masses of light blue, dark blue and purple energy formed around the front of its body. Drowzee then fired the masses at Butterfree. However, one after the other, they were shrunk to half their size as they went through the Light Screen, and Butterfree didn't seem to take much damage from the one mass it failed to dodge.

Sascha stomped the floor. "Dammit!"

Red grinned. "Payback time! Butterfree, Bug Buzz!"

Butterfree's wings glowed red, and it pointed its antennae in the air. Its antennae then started vibrating, and red soundwaves came out of them, creating a siren-like sound which visibly hurt Drowzee.

"Kadabra, Psycho Cut!"

Kadabra's forearms glowed light blue, and both of them grew and extended in the back. Kadabra then swung its arms repeatedly and multiple light blue crescent blades came out of them and hit Golbat.

"Let's finish this, Red!" Green called out to his rival.

"Fine by me!"

Kadabra leaped toward Golbat, while Butterfree's soundwaves came together and formed a red orb in its arms. Kadabra sliced Golbat with its forearms, while Butterfree fired the orb as a red beam at Drowzee.

Sascha's Pokémon fainted.

"Sascha. You're going to stay here until the police arrives, or we will have our Pokémon take you down the same way they took down Giallo and Zuka." Green ordered the Rocket man.

Sascha laughed. "Oh, really? Guys." he whistled.

The two Rocket-grunts from before, who had apparently woken up and gone to a side-room, reappeared with an old man. The old man had his hands tied behind his back.

"This is Mr. Fuji." Sascha explained. "The man we're holding hostage, in case you'd forgotten. And guess what? If you two don't surrender yourselves to me right now... I'll kill him."

Red and Green were shocked by how evil the words coming out of Sascha's mouth were.

"What?" he asked, noticing their expressions. "Did you think Giallo was the only one who was smart and cruel enough to come up with things like this?" He looked over at Mr. Fuji. "What do you say, old man? Do you want to die?"

Mr. Fuji, a bald, short, and wrinkly old man, looked weak physically, but his eyes were burning with determination. "Kids," he said, looking straight at the two boys, "Don't let these awful men threaten you. If something happens to me, so be it, but don't let him take you too."

"Return your Pokémon. Now." Sascha ordered.

Red and Green looked at each other, trying to see what the other one was thinking. They both closed their eyes and sighed, before they returned their Pokémon.

"Good! Now we're getting somewhere." Sascha said with a smile on his chubby face.

"No!" Red shouted. "We're not going anywhere!"

Sascha let out an annoyed sigh. "Fine. So an old man isn't enough, huh? Then how about his Pokémon?!"

One of the grunts hurried back to the side-room, and returned with an obviously drugged Marowak. It also had its hands tied behind its back. Sascha grabbed its neck.

"Marrow..." Fuji said softly.

"Are you going to give yourselves up, or am I going to have to hurt his one?" Sascha asked, his hands firmly around Marowak's head.

Red and Green were frozen with fright.

_"He's insane."_ Green thought.

"We can't!" Red started shouting, with desperation in his voice. "If we give ourselves up, then it's all over! We won't be able to save our friends, or anyone else for that matter! We... We cant..."

Green was unable to say anything.

Sascha looked at Red with a deadpan expression. "Boo. Hoo. Do you think I'm playing around here?"

CRACK!

"Noooooo!" Mr. Fuji screamed out as he saw Sascha twist Marowak's head around.

Red and Green's eyes widened as they realized what had happened.

Sascha let go of the Pokémon, and its lifeless body fell to the floor.

Fuji started weeping.

The two grunts appeared to get angry. "What the hell, man?!" one of them yelled out. The other one grabbed Sascha's shirt. "How could you do that?!"

Sascha seemed confused. "I did my job. Like you should, so let go of me."

"No way!" the grunt who wasn't grabbing him exclaimed. He grabbed a cell phone.

Sascha tried to get to him before he could dial, but the other grunt was strong, and managed to hold him back.

"This is one of the members of Team Rocket who's taken the tower. We give ourselves up."

"You called the cops?!" Sascha shouted. He kicked the grunt who was holding him in the shin. The grunt yelled out in pain and lost his grip. Sascha then turned to a window and ran toward it. He grabbed two Pokéballs and tossed them out the window, releasing two Zubats. As he jumped out the window, the two bats grabbed his shoulders and flew away with him.

Red and Green were still in shock.

The two Rocket grunts untied Mr. Fuji, and fell to their knees. "We're... we're so sorry." "We... didn't know."

Mr. Fuji took one look at them, and touched their shoulders. "I can see that." he said, with compassion in his voice. "You are two people who made some bad choices along the way, but I can tell you're not bad people, deep inside. I hope you will rethink your lives while you're in prison."

The two started crying and thanked the old man.

Mr. Fuji walked over to his Marowak and closed its eyes with his hand. He removed his sweater and put it over it. "This wasn't the way you were supposed to go, but we had a long run, old friend."

Green finally managed to say something. "How can you be so calm?" he asked.

Fuji, with tears in his eyes, looked at the brown-haired boy. "I have to remember all the good times, instead of this one horrible moment. I have to celebrate its life, instead of losing myself in despair over its death. I just... just wished we could have had one last good memory together before it went."

Red snapped out of his shock as well. He grabbed the Silph Scope from Green's backpack, and handed it to Mr. Fuji. "Put it on. Trust me."

Mr. Fuji did, and a huge smile appeared on his face as he hugged something that to everyone else seemed not to be there.

* * *

When Fuji finally said goodbye and removed the scope, an hour had passed, and the police had taken the grunts away. He noticed that the two teenagers were not there anymore.

A police officer, who was reading a magazine, saw that he had removed the scope. "Oh. Right. Uhm, I was supposed to just leave you alone until you were done with... whatever it was you were doing, and tell you that you need to leave the crime scene now."

Mr. Fuji did, and when he stepped outside, he could see the two teenagers fighting.

He observed as Green hit Red, and pushed him to the ground.

Green's eyes were as filled with sadness as they were with fury. "It's all your fault! If you had just stayed calm and not started shouting and stuff his Pokémon would still be alive! And you let him use the Scope for way too long! Its battery is drained by now, and we'll never!" He kicked Red in the stomach. "See them!" He kicked once more. "Again!"

Red was lying on the ground, holding his stomach. He didn't say anything, because deep down, he agreed with Green.

"I can't believe I thought we could be fr-" Green stopped himself. "I stopped trusting you years ago. I should've known better than to do so again! You're holding me back as a trainer, and this was the last straw. We're not just rivals anymore. From now on, the next time I see you, it'll be as an enemy. You and I are done!"

Red buried his face in the ground as Green walked away.

Mr. Fuji walked over to Red and helped him to his feet. "Hey, kid. Why don't I take you home and fix these scratches?" he suggested, noting Red's wounds from his beatdown.

"Sure." Red replied absentmindedly.

"You tried to save me. What happened up there... it wasn't your fault."

"It feels like it is."

"But it's not. Come on."

* * *

The following week, Red stayed with Mr. and Mrs. Fuji while his wounds healed, and gradually, with the help of Mr. Fuji's kind words, he managed to let go of some of the guilt. After nine days had passed, he knew he had to move on. Red said goodbye to the old couple, promising to never forget them. Fuji's last words to Red were demanding that he had to look forward. To never forget the past, but not let it limit him from seeing the future. Red promised.

And so, Red continued his journey, setting his sights on Fuchsia City...

* * *

_To be continued..._

_Feel free to leave a review or a comment if you want to, but please avoid spoilers._


	11. Bicycle Roads and Safari Zones

**The FireRed/LeafGreen/WaterBlue Chronicles**

**Chapter XI**

**Bicycle Roads and Safari Zones**

* * *

As the sun was starting to set, Red was lying in the grass on the outskirts of Celadon City. He had just gone through the underground from Lavender and through Celadon, and had decided to take a break before continuing onto the Cycle Road, the next step on his journey to Fuchsia City.

His Pokémon had been let out of their Pokéballs, relaxing and enjoying a moment of serenity with their trainer. Charmeleon was lying on the grass next to him, taking a lesson from his master in the art of complete relaxation. Butterfree was flying in circles high up from the ground, enjoying the freedom of the open air. Vileplume was smelling flowers and planting berries, while Raichu and Eevee were playing tag.

Red took in a deep breath, and exhaled. He looked at his Pokémon, and smiled. He turned to his starter. "This is nice, isn't it, Charmeleon?"

The fire Pokémon nodded.

Red closed his eyes while he continued. "Things have been so dark lately. From now on things will be looking better. Hopefully."

Charmeleon nodded once more.

Red opened his eyes again, and watched Butterfree's circling flight. _"I guess it doesn't usually get the opportunity to fly like that. Looks like it's having fun."_

Vileplume walked over to him and handed him a bouquet it had made, then it went into his backpack and pulled out the present from Mr. Fuji; a flute. It handed it to him.

"Do you want me to play on it?" he asked.

All his Pokémon stopped what they were doing and joined Vileplume in nodding enthusiastically. If it was one thing they had enjoyed during the stay with the Fujis, it was Mrs. Fuji playing the flute.

Red stood up and put the flute to his lips. He blew... and produced a sound which no living thing with a sense of hearing could call music. His Pokémon grimaced and gritted their teeth.

"Okay... that was bad. I'll try one more time."

"CHUUU!" Raichu snapped its tail like a whip and knocked the flute out of Red's hands.

It broke into two pieces as it hit a rock on the ground.

"Why'd you do that, Raichu?" Red asked, completely unaware of just how horrible his attempt at playing the flute had been.

**THUD**

Red and his Pokémon turned their heads toward the sound. "What was that?"

**THUD**

It was getting closer.

**THUD**

By now, Red and his team could see the creature behind the noise as it appeared from the forest; a Snorlax.

And it seemed to be a particularly grumpy one.

"SNOOOOORLAAAAAX!" it shouted angrily.

"Why is it so mad?" Red asked himself.

Butterfree tapped his shoulder and pointed to the broken flute.

"Oh. Right." Red looked up at the big, fat Pokémon. They made eye-contact, and the Pokémon smiled with a devilish glee.

It tipped over toward Red, and he would have been crushed if Charmeleon hadn't pushed him out of the way of the Snorlax's Body Slam.

Now that it was lying on its stomach, Red realized it was an easy target. "Butterfree, Sleep Powder!"

Butterfree flew over the Snorlax and released the powder, forcing it to fall asleep.

"Alright!" Red grabbed a Great Ball, intending to throw it, but suddenly the Snorlax started snoring. The noise made him drop the ball as he had to hold his ears to keep the sound out. "Ow! It can attack in its sleep? Not fair!"

Eevee, Vileplume and Butterfree couldn't move, but Charmeleon and Raichu forced themselves to attack.

They jumped on top of the Snorlax's back. Raichu sent a shockwave through Snorlax's entire body, and Charmeleon finished with a Flamethrower directly to the back of its head.

The snoring stopped.

Red picked up the Great Ball again, and threw it. The massive body of the wild Pokémon dissolved into a red light, and it was absorbed by the tiny sphere. The Great Ball fell down on the ground and rolled around a couple of times before it stopped.

Red sat down on the grass. "Most stressful relaxing break ever..."

* * *

"I'm sorry, but you can't enter the Cycle Road if you don't have a bike."

Red stared at the gate-guard. "... Please?"

The gate-guard sighed. "Kid, cycles only. Sorry."

"Fine." Red pouted. He started walking out, before he suddenly turned around and bolted past the guard and through the door to the Cycle Road.

"HEY! STOP!"

Red didn't hear the guard's shouts; he was already far away from the gatehouse. He ran until he was exhausted, and stopped to catch his breath.

"STOP IT!"

Red jumped into a bush the instant he heard the scream, at first thinking it was a security guard who had followed him. He peeked out of the bush and saw a group of five bikers surrounding a young girl, no older than sixteen. She was the source of the scream.

"Give us yer money!" the tallest biker ordered her. He was sitting on a large motorcycle, which was infinitely more threatening than the mopeds the four other bikers were sitting on.

She was sitting on a red bicycle, wearing a white summer-dress and a straw-hat with a pink bow tied to it, and in her hands she was clutching a light blue purse. "You're not getting my money!"

"Fine," the biker leader huffed. "If yer not gonna give it, we gon hav'ta take it!" He grabbed a Pokéball, as did the four other bikers.

"Oh no." the young girl whimpered.

Before the bikers could release their Pokémon, they were interrupted by someone yelling out; "LEAVE HER ALONE!"

They turned around, and saw Red standing in front of them. "What?"

"You heard me. Leave her alone." he repeated.

"That's cute. Get 'im boys!" the leader ordered.

The four other bikers threw their Pokéballs, releasing a Grimer, a Koffing, a Machop and a Mankey. "Get him!" The four Pokémon charged toward Red.

Red grabbed the Great Ball containing his newest capture, and released Snorlax.

The large Pokémon towered over its four opponents. It smirked, and the four other Pokémon stopped in their tracks, clearly intimidated.

"Alright, Snorlax, use-"

Before Red could finish his command, Snorlax turned around and pushed him to the ground. It chuckled, and turned to its opponents again. It curled its body into a ball and rolled into the four opposing Pokémon with incredible speed and power.

When it stopped rolling and stood up again, it looked over at the four fainted Pokémon in front of it.

Red stood up as well, and observed the damage. "Wow. Nice."

The biker leader threw a Pokéball while his underlings returned their Pokémon. It released a Weezing. "Suck on this, bro!"

Red was about to suggest a move, but Snorlax immediately turned around and lowered its head. Its face was inches away from Red's. "So... you've got this, huh?" Red asked nervously.

Snorlax nodded, and turned to Weezing.

"Weezing, Sludge Bomb!"

Weezing fired a ball of brown sludge from its main mouth at Snorlax.

"Yer in trouble now kid! Mah Weezing's Sludge Bomb always poisons its opponent!"

The brown ball of sludge hit Snorlax, exploding all over it. Snorlax stood still for a moment, before it wiped the sludge away from its face. It was unaffected by the attack.

"But... how?!"

Red understood why Snorlax was ok. _"Green told me about how Pokémon have different abilities. Snorlax must have Immunity, the ability that prevents poisoning!"_

Snorlax looked angry. It started waving its body back and forth and tapped its stomach with its right fist three times. Its body then became outlined in red.

The move Snorlax was using was recognized by its trainer. _"Belly Drum! The move that halves its health but increases its attack to the absolute max!"_

Snorlax grinned and slowly walked over toward Weezing. The Poison-type looked absolutely terrified. Snorlax's body became surrounded by a red, fiery aura.

_"It's using Strength!" _Red thought.

Snorlax grabbed Weezing, and threw it into the biker leader. The biker, his motorcycle, and the Weezing were all blasted away into the woods.

The four remaining bikers stared in the direction their leader had disappeared to, then they stared at Snorlax.

It cracked its knuckles, chuckling.

The four bikers screamed in fear and ran away, leaving their mopeds.

Snorlax chuckled again, before it was returned by Red. "You're going to be a handful, aren't you..."

The girl thanked Red for his help, and offered him some money as a reward.

He looked at the money, and though he was tempted, he refused it. "What kind of hero would I be if I took your bucks, right?" he laughed.

She thanked him again, and rode off on her bicycle.

Red stood there for a few minutes to make sure she disappeared from sight without further trouble, and just as he was about to continue walking, a hand grabbed his shoulder.

It was the guard from before. "So, you think you can just walk around on the Bicycle Road?! You do realize that goes against the name, right?"

Red had to think fast. "Uh... I... I do have a bike!"

"Oh yeah? Where?"

Red pointed to the mopeds. "It's one of those."

The guard looked at the mopeds, then back to Red. "Well... alright then. Enjoy the road, I guess."

The guard left, and Red could let out a relieved breath of air. He got on top of one of the mopeds, and rode it down the road.

* * *

"Come on!" Red yelled out in frustration.

It had been an hour since he had arrived in Fuchsia City. The first thing he had done was to park the moped outside of the Safari Zone, and enter the entrance building. He had payed the fee and, as the rules demanded, left his Pokémon in the Safari-building's safe storage room.

Right now, he was trying to catch a Lickitung. The pink Pokémon was jumping around and giggling at Red's attempts to catch it.

Red looked in the bag he had been given. He had ten remaining Safari-Balls. They were only good for one attempt each, and then they became useless. There was also square bits of Pokémon food, that were meant for baiting the wild Pokémon. "This is hard. Why can't I have my Pokémon here to weaken the wild ones?..." he lamented.

He heard laughter behind him. He turned around, and saw three gym leaders he had encountered before standing behind him.

"Brock? Misty? Surge? Hey! What are you doing here?"

"Adding some Pokémon to our teams, like you're trying to." Misty explained.

"Are you having problems there, Red?" Brock asked as the Lickitung ran away.

"Maybe..." Red pouted.

"All of us has caught a Pokémon here at least once before. It ain't that tough, kiddo." Surge laughed.

"Brock, why don't you help him out?" Misty suggested.

"Why me?" he wondered.

"Ya were the one that said he had problems." Surge pointed out.

"Besides, Erika sure can't help." Misty giggled, pointing to Erika, who was sleeping face-down in the grass.

"Oh, she's here too? Didn't notice her." Red mentioned.

"She is sleeping, so I'm pretty sure she won't be offended that you didn't say hello." Brock said while walking over to him. "So, do you want help?"

"Sure!" Red was delighted that Brock was willing to help him.

As Brock and Red walked around in the area to search for Pokémon, Red decided to clear the air. "I'm sorry I was such a loudmouth the last time I met you."

Brock was surprised. "Oh. Thanks, Red. I guess you do seem different. More mature somehow."

"I guess I've had my share of maturing experiences." Red mumbled.

Brock stopped them both by holding out his hand in front of Red. "Look. What about that one?"

It was a Rhyhorn. The spiky Pokémon was lying in the tall grass, relaxing in the shade.

"Alright. So, what do I do?"

"Allow me." Brock grabbed some bait blocks from Red's bag, and threw them toward the Rhyhorn.

The rock-type smelled the food, and wandered closer to them to eat. It was disturbed when Brock suddenly threw a rock at its face.

"What are you doing? Now it's pissed off!"

"Trust me!"

The Rhyhorn stomped toward the two trainers, and Brock pushed Red out of the way before he dodged the angry Pokémon himself.

"Red, throw a ball, now!"

Red did as Brock suggested, and threw the ball behind him so it hit the Rhyhorn on its back.

The Pokémon was absorbed, and the ball fell to the ground. It wiggled around for a few seconds, then it settled.

"There you go. Congratulations, Red, you just caught a Rhyhorn."

Red grabbed the Safari-ball and put it in a pocket in the bag. "I think I get it now. Bait them, make them unfocused, then catch them when they least expect it?"

"That a'boy! Ya got it, kiddo!" Surge bellowed. He, Misty and Erika joined them.

"You're awake, Erika?" Red commented. "It's good to see you again."

"Hello, Red. It's good to see you too." Erika smiled.

"Guys," Misty spoke, "we're almost out of time. Let's head out."

"I'll join you. I'm almost out of time too." Red replied.

The five started walking toward the entrance, when suddenly, they heard a deafening noise. It sounded like running. Lots and lots of creatures running. They looked behind them and saw a flock of Dodrio and Doduo running in their direction.

"That is not good!" Surge warned.

"THANK YOU MR. OBVIOUS!" Misty yelled, before she started to run. The others joined her, and before they knew it, they were all racing toward the entrance with the flock of stampeding birds right behind them.

Erika looked behind her. "THEY'RE CATCHING UP!"

Red turned his head. Sure enough, the birds were gaining on them with every passing moment. He looked forward again, and realized that the entrance was too far away. "WE'RE NOT GONNA MAKE IT!" he shouted.

"If only Ah had mah Pokémon!" Surge muttered in between breaths.

"WELL, NONE OF US HAVE, SO SHUT UP AND RUN!" Misty replied.

It seemed all hope was lost, and just as Red was about to give up, he noticed his feet leaving the ground. He looked up, and realized that a Pidgeot was carrying him. He turned his head, and saw Pokémon carrying the gym leaders as well. Another Pidgeot was carrying Brock, a Fearow was carrying Misty, a Crobat had grabbed Erika, and Surge was being held by five Zubats.

As he marveled over this sight, Red didn't notice his bag slipping. When it fell off of him, he was too late to grab it, and it fell into the flock of birds.

The five trainers were brought to the entrance, and the Pokémon let them down next to it. They were greeted by two men.

"Hello. They always run like that at this time, so it's a good thing we were on safety patrol." the first man explained. He was a round and short man, with long white hair and beard. "The name is Baboa. I'm the warden here. This Safari Zone is under my ownership. It's a wonderful place when you're not in danger of being stomped to death."

He laughed at his own joke, while the man next to him rolled his eyes. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yes. Thank you, Koga." Erika replied.

"You know him?" Red asked.

"We sure do." Brock explained. "Red, meet Koga, the gym leader of Fuchsia City."

Red looked at the man. He was dressed in the same safari zone guard-uniform that Baboa was, but unlike Baboa, his posture was straight, and he seemed very serious. He seemed to be in his forties, but appeared older due to his seriousness, and the way his teal hair had started graying at the temples.

"You are a trainer?" Koga asked Red.

"Y-Yes."

"Good. Then I hope to see you in my gym soon." he replied, before he returned the bat Pokémon and walked away.

Baboa returned his bird Pokémon as well.

Red thanked him for rescuing them.

"My pleasure. Can't have people dying in my Safari Zone. I'd be forced to shut it down." He cracked up again.

Red and the gym leaders said goodbye to Baboa after getting their Pokémon back, and walked out of the Zone building.

* * *

"Thanks for the help in there." Red told Brock, before he turned to the three other gym leaders. "And it was good to see all of you again."

"It's too bad Brock was the only one who could help you out with something though. It makes us look bad." Misty complained.

Red looked at her purse. "You don't happen to have a Water-Stone, do you?" he asked.

She pulled one out. "I'm a water-expert, what did you expect? Why? Do you want it?"

Red grinned. "If you'll be willing to give it to me, sure. I lost the one I had sometime on the way here."

She handed it to him. "Here you go."

Surge stepped forward. "Ah'm not gonna let these two overshadow me. Ah have an offer as well."

Red waved his hands in front of him. "That's okay, Surge. I've already evolved Pikachu, I don't need a Thunderstone. Thanks though."

Surge smirked. "That's not what Ah had in mind. Ah'm offerin' mah services as an electric-type expert. Ah would like to take yer Raichu for a while to give it special trainin'. Is that alright?"

Red was taken aback. It was an amazing offer. "That's... wow. I guess that means I won't see it for a while, but how many electric Pokémon get the opportunity to train with Lt. Surge?" He released Raichu. "Were you listening in?" he asked.

Raichu nodded.

"It's up to you."

Raichu seemed to consider it, before it nodded again. It accepted.

"Alright." Red and Raichu gave each other a hug. "I'll miss you while you're gone."

Raichu smiled as Red returned it, before he gave the ball to Surge. "Take good care of it."

Surge smiled. "Ya won't regret it."

Handing Raichu over to Surge made Red realize something. He turned to Erika. "Erika, when I was at your gym I could tell that you are a caring trainer to your Pokémon. My Butterfree is a wonderful Pokémon and I love it, but every day it seems to be more and more tired of fighting. I think it would prefer spending its days in your gym, flying around and being taken care of. Is that something you'd be willing to do?"

Erika smiled gently. "It would be my honor."

Red released Butterfree. "Was I right? Is this something you want?"

Butterfree nodded hesitantly. On one hand, it didn't want to leave Red, but on the other, it had realized since S.S. Anne that the life of a battling trainer was one too tumultuous for it. It hugged Red, and flew over to Erika.

Red broke its Pokéball in two, and Butterfree allowed itself to enter one of Erika's empty ones.

The gym leaders said their goodbyes and left. Red stood alone and waved until they were gone from sight, before he sat down on a nearby bench and sighed. _"Goodbye, Butterfree. And I'll see you later, Raichu."_

Baboa came out to him. "Hey, kid. You forgot something." He was holding two Safari-Balls.

Red grabbed them. "Oh, right. I caught a Rhyhorn. What's the second one?" he asked.

"It seems that when your bag fell into the flock, one of the Doduos was hit in the head by an empty ball. It got captured. Congratulations kid." He wandered off and left Red alone again.

The young teenager released his Eevee. "Hey there. Do you know what my favorite Eeveelution is?" he asked.

Eevee shook its head.

"Vaporeon. The water-type. Do you want to become a Vaporeon?"

Eevee nodded enthusiastically, and Red pulled out the Water stone. He touched Eevee's head with it, and Eevee started glowing. It grew larger and sleeker, and when the light faded, it was a Vaporeon.

Red smiled, and threw his other Pokéballs into the air, releasing the rest of his Pokémon. Vaporeon, Charmeleon, Vileplume, Snorlax, Rhyhorn and Doduo looked at him.

"Guys, the team is looking pretty different now than it did before. Some of you have been with me since the start of my journey, some of you are brand new. I think we've got a bright future in front of us, so introduce yourself to each other."

His Pokémon greeted each other with joy, even Snorlax, who seemed to be warming up to Red as a trainer.

"Next stop; Fuchsia Gym!"

* * *

_To be continued..._

_Feel free to leave a review or a comment if you want to, but please avoid spoilers._


	12. The Fuchsia Family

**The FireRed/LeafGreen/WaterBlue Chronicles**

**Chapter XII**

**The Fuchsia Family**

* * *

"HIIYAAA!"

The sound of twenty-two people of various ages yelling out their battle-cry as they kicked the air filled the Fuchsia City Gym.

"Once more! Put some real power behind your strike this time!" Koga urged his students.

"HIIYAAAAA!"

The group, all dressed in the same white martial arts-robe as Koga, punched the air in front of them with a straight right.

"Very good." Koga spoke, pausing as he noticed Red leaning against the back wall by the entrance. The gym leader smiled. "I believe that's enough for today. Thank you all, I will see you again tomorrow."

The group of martial arts-students grabbed their things and started to leave the building. Red could see that they had all enjoyed the lesson. They were also very sweaty.

_"I sure hope the smell goes away before my battle." _he thought, imagining having to hold his nose while fighting for his badge. He could overhear people talking about their teacher as they were leaving, and it was obvious that Koga was a very respected man in the community.

_"Great. As if I wasn't nervous enough before. Except Charmeleon and Vileplume, my team is practically all-new, and I haven't had much time to train with them.__" _He shook his head. _"Come on, Red! You've beaten Brock, Misty, Surge and Erika! This guy might be strong... but so are you!"_

Thinking those thoughts made him feel his confidence returning somewhat.

"Father." A girl, who looked like she was the same age as Red, had walked up to Koga. "Thank you for today's lesson. How did I do?"

Koga eyed her, his serious expression remaining on his face. "You are one of twenty-two students, Janine. You cannot expect me to focus on you during the lesson."

She lowered her head. Red could see that while she was disappointed, it also seemed like she was used to it.

"May I go out, father?" Janine asked.

Koga grabbed a towel from a chair and dried his forehead. "Yes, of course. But do not come home past your bedtime."

"I won't, father. Thank you." She bowed, and walked toward the exit. She stopped when she noticed Red. "Who are you?"

"I'm Red." he answered quickly, and started walking past her to get to Koga.

He had to stop when she ran in front of him. "I've never seen you before. Where are you from?"

"Pallet Town." he answered, his eyes fixed on Koga as the gym leader walked away and into another room.

"Were you going to challenge my father? He wouldn't accept right now anyway, he's going to take his after-lesson shower."

"Oh."

"Disappointed? " she asked. "I know what that's like." She looked at the exit. "Come on, Red. Let's go out for a while, then you can come back afterwards and fight my father."

Red nodded in agreement, somewhat reluctantly.

* * *

"I love ice cream!" Janine exclaimed with joy.

She was sitting with Red on the sidewalk next to the Safari Zone, eating ice cream bought from the local PokéMart.

"It's okay." Red replied.

"Just okay?"

Red smiled. "Back home in Pallet, there's this guy from Viridian who stops by the town every Tuesday with his ice cream cart. It's homemade, and that is delicious ice cream. There's nothing like it."

Janine nodded along with his story. "Yeah. I get that. My father always says homemade is better than the commercial stuff. He even makes his own potions."

"Really?"

"Yup. He has a room in the gym filled with antidotes, burn heals and those sort of things, all made by him. He doesn't think the store-bought kind are good enough. Too much fake lab-stuff in it."

Red licked his ice cream. "That's interesting. I guess he knows a lot about that kind of stuff then?"

Janine grinned. "Yup. He studied medicine, actually. He was planning to become a doctor. But he realized he was a really good trainer, so he decided to focus on that instead."

"I guess that worked out fine for him."

"Sure did."

They were both quiet for a moment, before Red dared ask the question that had been nagging him since they left the gym.

"So what's with the seriousness? If you hadn't called him father, I wouldn't even have guessed you were related. He seemed so... cold."

Janine was surprised by Red's question. "He wasn't always this way. But after my mother died, he started acting like that. Sometimes, I'm not even sure he loves me..."

Red put his arm around her as she started crying. "It's alright, Janine. My dad is... gone. I know what it's like to only have one parent."

"But does your mother act like my father does?"

Red waved his hand frantically. "Oh no, not at all. My mom's the best!"

Janine cried even more.

Red hit himself on the forehead. "I'm sorry, that came out wrong."

As he was sitting there with the crying girl, he realized how Green must've felt after the incident with the starters they lost, when the professor started acting cold toward him. How he probably still feels.

"Janine." Red put his hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eyes. "I'm sure your dad cares about you. Okay?" He wiped the tears away from under her eyes.

She blushed, and he realized how close their faces were.

"So, your dad definitely dislikes store-stuff, huh?" he blurted out, quickly pulling away from her.

"Uh... yeah." she answered, somewhat confused. "Are you okay?"

Red was sweating. "Yeah yeah, I'm fine. Sooooooo... your dad likes his Pokémon to get as natural stuff as possible?"

"That's an understatement. He won't even give them TMs."

Red's curiosity peaked. "Really?"

"Yes. He thinks the moves the Pokémon knows naturally are good enough, and there's no need for TMs. Have you used them before?"

"Several times." Red replied. "Bought some, was given some. I even found a couple on the ground."

Janine could tell that a plan was hatching in the boy's head. She sighed silently to herself, knowing this meant the end of their time together. "So, what do you want to do now?" she asked, hoping that he wouldn't give the answer she was expecting.

"I want to go back to the gym, and battle your dad!" Red stood up and reached his hand out to her.

Janine took it, and he helped her up. "That's what I thought you'd say."

* * *

"The challenger; Red, from Pallet Town!" Janine, now dressed in a black shirt and a dark blue skirt, and acting as assistant, shouted. "Representing the gym as its leader; Koga!"

Red stood on one side of the field, staring at the stoic gym leader on the other.

Koga had changed his clothes to something he deemed more appropriate for a fight. He was wearing a black ninja-robe with dark red details on the arms and legs. His black boots went up to his knees, and around his neck he wore a wide, thin, red scarf that went down his back, making it look almost like a cape.

The gym leader had the same expression as always as he explained the rules for the fight. "We will use four Pokémon each! You are allowed one loss, which means that if you fail to defeat three of my Pokémon, you will lose the battle. Is that understood?"

Red nodded nervously. _"I have to beat three out of four? That's not gonna be easy." _He looked at the field. It seemed to be a completely standard battlefield, without any of the customization that the other gyms had had.

Janine took her place in the stands. "Are you ready?"

Red gave a thumbs up and Koga nodded.

"BEGIN!"

Koga and Red threw their Pokéballs into the air. The energy released from within them materialized into a Venomoth on Koga's side, and Charmeleon on Red's side.

"Red, I shall show you true terror! Do you know why I decided to become an expert with Poison-types? It's because the horror and despair they bring in battle fit my style as a ninja master perfectly. Poison brings steady doom! Sleep and paralysis renders foes helpless!"

"And fire burns!" Red interrupted. "Charmeleon, Flame Burst!"

Red's starter Pokémon released a stream of fire from its mouth into the air. The flames formed a ball of fire which bursted, sending multiple streaks of fire at the Venomoth. The Poison Moth Pokémon managed to dodge all the streaks.

"Damn!" Red exclaimed.

Koga finished his speech. "And confusion... turns the Pokémon's own body into a weapon against itself! Venomoth, Supersonic!"

Venomoth's eyes glowed blue, and it released blue circles from its body at Charmeleon. The Lizard Pokémon took a step back as the circles hit it.

Red noticed that his Pokémon's legs were shaking. "Charmeleon, try Slashing it!"

Charmeleon started moving in the opponent's direction, but it was clearly too dizzy to do anything.

"Venomoth, Signal Beam!"

A rainbow colored ball appeared in between Venomoth's antennae. It then fired a rainbow colored beam from the ball at Charmeleon. The fire-type fell to the ground as it was hit.

"In case you're wondering why I would use a bug-move against a fire-type, Red, it's because my Venomoth has the ability Tinted Lens. It doubles the power of not-very-effective attacks."

Red gritted his teeth. _"So no matter what he uses, nothing is ineffective."_

"Venomoth, finish it with a Poison Fang."

Venomoth flew down to Charmeleon. It sat down on the fire lizard's stomach, and its fangs glowed purple. The purple glow then moved to its wings. Then, multiple purple sparks surrounded the Pokémon as it buried its fangs in Charmeleon's neck.

"Charmeleon, no!" Red yelled out.

His Pokémon heard him, and pushed the bug away from it. It got back up, but Red could see by the way it was shaking that his Pokémon was poisoned. On the bright side, it didn't seem to be confused anymore.

"Charmeleon, let's do this! Fire Spin!"

Charmeleon opened its mouth and released a fiery tornado. Once again, Venomoth managed to dodge the attack.

"Zen Headbutt!" Koga ordered.

Venomoth's head glowed blue and its head became surrounded by a see-through reflective shield before it shot toward Charmeleon like a missile. Just before it would hit, Charmeleon managed to jump out of the way.

"Now, Charmeleon, Rock Tomb!"

"What?!"

Charmeleon fired a purple circle from its mouth at the ground directly beneath Venomoth. When the purple circle hit the ground, it turned into a large gray stone that encased the bug, trapping it inside.

"I did not anticipate that." Koga admitted.

Red smirked. "Charmeleon knows that move thanks to a TM, given to me by Brock himself. Charmeleon, Flamethrower."

Charmeleon punched the rock, leaving a small hole. It then released a red-orange stream of fire from its mouth into the hole. The rock started glowing orange from the heat within. Once Charmeleon stopped its flame, the rock cooled, and cracked. Charmeleon punched the rock again, destroying it, revealing a fainted Venomoth.

Koga returned it with a grim look on his face. "So you know of my dislike for TMs." He glanced at his daughter, who was hiding her face. "Very well, let us continue then. Next round!"

He threw another PokéBall, as did Red. They released a Muk and Vaporeon, respectively.

Red started the battle quickly; "Swift!"

Vaporeon opened its mouth, and yellow stars shot out of it at Muk. The poison-type was hit by every star, but didn't flinch.

"Muk, Poison Gas."

Muk opened its mouth, and released a thick dark green gas. The gas seeped toward Red's Pokémon. It enveloped the entire field as it moved toward Vaporeon.

Red was frantic. _"I gotta make sure that gas doesn't hit. But any second now, the only place on the field without the gas on it will be at Muk's side... I got it!"_

"Dig!"

Vaporeon dug underground with its front paws and disappeared into the ground seconds before the gas would have hit it.

Without Red noticing, Koga gave his Muk a signal with his fingers. Muk moved to the left.

"Dig up now!"

Vaporeon bursted out of the ground directly behind Muk. It was about to hit the poison-type when Vaporeon crashed into something invisible.

"Huh? What was that?" Red exclaimed confusedly.

Koga answered him. "You probably thought that this field was without its surprises. But it is, as you now see, not. I have invisible walls scattered on the field. And only I know where they are."

Red was taken aback. _"I guess I didn't notice before when all my attacks were pointed to the air."_

"Now, Muk, let's show them why we're known as the strongest in Fuchsia! Swallow!"

Muk's mouth gaped open, and before Red or Vaporeon could react, it swallowed the water-type and closed its mouth.

"Vaporeon, no!" Red felt helpless. "You're a liar!" he accused Koga. "I know Muks don't learn that naturally. You must've used a TM on it!"

Koga closed his eyes. "This Muk is no average Muk. Its father is a poison-type from another region. And thanks to that heritage, it has these moves. Now, Muk, Stockpile, then Spit Up!"

Muk, its mouth firmly shut, closed its eyes, and its whole body glowed purple. Then it spit up Vaporeon into the air, before it fired a light blue beam of energy from its mouth at Red's Pokémon.

Vaporeon fell through the air and into the ground, right in front of Red.

Red had sadness in his eyes as he stared at his fainted Pokémon before he returned it. _"Sorry, Vaporeon."_

"Are you ready for the next round? Remember, you must win it, or you're out!" Koga asked.

Red's eyes were filled with confidence. "I know. And I will win!"

The two trainers threw their Pokéballs into the field. As they opened, Red's ball released his Rhyhorn, while Koga's released a Crobat.

_"Yes! Rock against flying! I have the advantage!" _Red thought to himself. "Rhyhorn, Rock Blast!"

Three light blue rings appeared and spun around Rhyhorn's body. The rings then glowed white and turned into glowing white rocks that continued to spin around its body. Rhyhorn then fired two of the glowing white rocks at Crobat.

The bat-Pokémon smirked and flawlessly avoided the rocks. When Rhyhorn fired the third, Crobat hovered still in the air as the rock crashed into another one of the invisible walls.

Though its trainer remained serious-looking, Crobat had a smug grin on its face, annoying both Red and Rhyhorn.

Rhyhorn, clearly wanting to defeat its opponent, stomped the ground, whipping up dust that obscured it from Koga and Crobat's sight.

"Crobat, Poison Fang!"

Crobat's fangs glowed purple and doubled in length as it flew toward Rhyhorn with lightning-speed. Rhyhorn didn't even notice the attack had begun until Crobat was sitting on its back. It tried to shake the bat off, but was unsuccessful. Crobat bit down on the rock-type... and broke its teeth! It recoiled away in pain.

"What happened?!" Koga exclaimed in surprise. "I know Rhyhorn's body is hard, but it shouldn't be that tough!"

Red grinned. "I had Rhyhorn use Harden after it whipped up the dust."

"I see." Koga, though his face remained unchanged, was impressed. "You're no mere child, Red. But that does not mean you will win! Acrobatics, followed by Air Cutter!"

Crobat glided around the battlefield at top speed, diving down around Rhyhorn but missing it multiple times. Rhyhorn, trying to follow Crobat's movements, became dazed and confused. Crobat waved one of its wings, and a white crescent shaped energy flew out, hitting Rhyhorn so hard that its knees weakened, and it collapsed.

"Rhyhorn, get up!" Red pleaded with his Pokémon.

The spiked Pokémon, though weak, opened its eyes. It was moved by how much trust Red was putting in it. It moved slowly, but with confidence, and got back up.

"Yes! You ready to go again, Rhyhorn?" Red asked.

Rhyhorn nodded, and smiled.

"Then let's do this. Rock Polish!"

Rhyhorn's whole body glowed faintly white, increasing its speed. "And now, Take Down!"

Rhyhorn charged at the Crobat at a very high speed. Red noticed that Crobat wasn't moving away. "Rhyhorn, there's an invisible wall in your way!" Rhyhorn ignored the warning, and charged into the wall, breaking it into many small pieces. Crobat and Koga were caught off guard, and before the bat could react, Rhyhorn slammed into it, sending it into the ground.

Rhyhorn looked on as Crobat struggled to get to its feet.

Koga mocked Red in an attempt to give Crobat time to regain its composure. "You think you're in control? You haven't even noticed-"

Red interrupted; "Noticed?! You talk about not noticing something? I'm not the one with a daughter who's not sure if her father loves her!"

"RED! WHAT THE HELL?!" Janine exclaimed.

Koga was silent, but his face had changed. He seemed shocked. "... what?"

Red lowered his eyes. "Sorry, I didn't think... It's none of my business..."

Koga looked at his daughter. "Did you tell him that? Is it true? Do you think that I don't love you?"

Janine was unable to look at him. "It's just that... after mother... you're always so cold. So yeah... sometimes it doesn't feel like you see me as your daughter."

Koga excused himself to Red and walked over to his daughter. "Janine. I apologize. I didn't realize. I felt like I had to look strong for your sake."

"That doesn't mean you have to be so cold." she replied.

"It does. Or... it did. The first weeks, everything that reminded me of her made me into an inconsolable mess. And nothing reminded me more of her than you. So I had to act that way to avoid looking weak, and I guess that eventually it became a habit, without my intention." He hugged her, to her surprise. "I love you, daughter."

Janine cried; but for the first time in a long time, not tears of sadness. "I love you too, father."

Koga kissed her on the forehead. "Tomorrow, let's go visit your mother's grave together. As for now, I have a battle to finish." He walked back to his side of the field. "Apologies, Red, now, let's-" he stopped as he saw his Crobat and Red crying.

"Sorry." Red choked on his tears. "That was beautiful."

Rhyhorn rolled its eyes. From its point of view, Red looked pathetic.

Red dried his eyes on his vest. "Alright, let's continue."

Koga reached his arm out. "Your move."

"Rock Blast!"

"Dodge!"

The three rings appeared and turned into rocks around Rhyhorn, before it fired all three simultaneously. Crobat, though weak, had had time to regain some of its strength, and managed to dodge the rocks.

"Sorry, Red, but though you have the type-advantage, Crobat is too fast to be hit by rocks!"

"Then how about lightning?" Red countered. "Shock Wave!"

"No!" Koga was once again taken by surprise.

Rhyhorn released a beam of light blue electricity from its body which struck Crobat. The bat fell from the air into the ground and let out a tiny whimper as it fainted.

"Another TM?" Koga asked.

"Yup. This time, it was one Lt. Surge gave me." Red replied smugly as he returned Rhyhorn.

Koga also returned his Pokémon. "So it's come to this. A fourth round. Half the trainers who challenge me don't get this far. Congratulations."

"You can congratulate me when I win."

Koga chuckled. "A response I've come to expect of you. Alright, my boy. As you would say: Let us do this!"

Janine noticed that for the first time since her mother died, Koga seemed to be enjoying himself. She smiled with glee.

"GO!" Red and Koga threw their final Pokéballs into the field, releasing Snorlax and an Ariados.

Red was puzzled by the sight of the spider-Pokémon. "What is that?"

Koga answered his question. "I see you've never been to Johto. It's a poison/bug-type native to that region. I often travel there to visit a good friend of mine who's a gym leader there, and it was on one of those trips I caught this Pokémon."

"I see. I'm still going to beat you though! Water Pulse, then Sandstorm!"

Snorlax generated a blue orb of energy between its hands, and pushed it away from itself. The orb transformed into a wave of water which drenched the field. Ariados remained completely unaffected in the same spot as the water hit it.

Snorlax then stomped the ground and pushed outward with its arms, whipping up a blast of sand that blew through the field. Once again, Ariados remained unaffected, but harming it wasn't what Red had planned anyway.

The sand had stuck to the wet walls, making them clearly visible. Red could see where they all were, including the broken one. Some were just a single block, others had corners.

"There we go. Thanks to Misty's TM and one I bought myself: No more invisible walls." Red declared proudly.

"Well done, but it won't help you." Koga complimented Red. "Ariados, trap it with a String Shot!"

Ariados shot multiple white strings from its mouth. The strings hit Snorlax, and it started spinning around clumsily in an attempt to get it off, trapping it further.

"Snorlax, Rest!"

Red's Pokémon fell asleep.

"And now, Sleep Talk!"

Sleep Talk. The move that makes a sleeping Pokémon use a random move. Snorlax, still asleep, tensed its muscles and broke the strings, before it moved toward Ariados.

"Ariados, move away!"

Ariados started to move backwards quickly, until it bumped into a wall. It looked around frantically. It had been too occupied with escaping Snorlax to hear its trainer telling it to change directions, and had moved into a wall with three sides. It stood with walls on all sides but one, where Snorlax was standing in the way.

It was trapped.

"Poison Sting, Ariados!" Koga ordered, hoping the move would poison Snorlax and prevent it from attacking.

Ariados fired multiple purple needles from its mouth. The needles penetrated Snorlax's skin.

"Hah! At least one of those must have poisoned it!" Koga rejoiced.

"Sorry to spoil your fun." Red interrupted the gym leader. "Snorlax's ability makes it immune to poisoning."

Snorlax, still asleep, used the move that had been randomly selected by the Sleep Talk. It sucked in a big gulp of air, and released a beam of wind with multiple white rings inside it from its mouth straight down at Ariados. The force of the wind pressed Ariados into the ground.

Once Snorlax was finished with the Hyper Voice, it woke up. It stared at the unconscious spider, and grinned smugly. It turned to Red and gave a thumbs up. Then it turned to Koga, and stuck its tongue out at him.

Red and Koga returned their Pokémon.

"You used my walls against me." Koga complimented Red. "Red, you have proven your worth. Congratulations. You won."

Red pumped his fist into the air. "Yes! Fifth badge, woohoo!"

Koga walked over to him. "Here it is. The Soul Badge. Again, congratulations."

"Thank you, sir." Red humbly replied.

"No, Red. It is I who should give you thanks. You have done more for me and my daughter than you could ever imagine." He smiled.

Red bowed out of respect, and Koga did the same. After saying a final goodbye, Red walked out of the gym with his new badge.

* * *

"Red, wait up!"

Red looked behind him as he stood at the outskirts of the city. "Janine?"

Janine ran up to him. "My father wanted to give you something." She held out a TM.

Red took it. "I thought he didn't believe in these?"

"He doesn't. That's why he's giving it to you."

"Okay. Thank you."

"And also... I have something to give you too."

Red didn't react as she grabbed his vest and pulled him closer, kissing him.

After she pulled away again, she laughed at the stunned look on his face. "Sorry. I just really wanted to do that before you left."

Red apologized as well. "It's fine. But I don't-"

"No need to say it, Red. Good luck on the rest of your journey." She shook his hand.

Red smiled at her, and as he left to go to Saffron City, something became clear in his head. Janine was a great girl, but he couldn't feel anything for her because someone else already occupied that slot.

Someone who had been by his side for so long that he didn't even realize it until she was gone.

So now he knew what his goal moving forward was:

He had to save Blue.

* * *

_To be continued..._

_Feel free to leave a review or a comment if you want to, but please avoid spoilers._


	13. IMPORTANT NOTE

Explanation for absence of new chapters:

My computer broke down and I'm trying to retrieve my story-notes and the almost-finished next chapter. Until I've figured out if I'm able to do so, the story is on a temporary hiatus.

If I don't manage to save the files, I'll have to try to remember everything I had planned and write it all down again. Will delete this note and replace with a new one once I find out more.


End file.
